University of Texas
by DodgerHolden
Summary: SEQUEL TO THE RIPPLE EFFECT- Rory and Jess are off to Yale where they meet some new people. Lorelai and Luke are in The Hollow with their unborn child. And Milo the dog?... well he likes to spend his days chasing Kirk around the town square
1. California

**A/N- And here's the sequel to The Ripple Effect **

**So, it's been a couple of days since the end of The Ripple Effect, so much for thinking that you guys would give me a two week break, lol **

**If you haven't read The Ripple Effect things you need to know- **

**- Rory and Jess are practically inseparable **

**- Rory and Jess' ship has sailed (if you know what I mean) **

**- Luke and Lorelai are married**

**- Liz and TJ are together and are on fairly good terms with Jess**

**- Richard loves Jess, whilst Emily tolerates him**

**- Richard and Emily now have a permanent maid called Marcia**

**- Jess and Paris have meet a few times before and are friend-ish**

**- Christopher stayed with Sherry, so he never got back together with Lorelai**

**- Christopher is terrified of Jess and doesn't know that he is dating Rory **

**- Andrew and Gypsy are getting closer to each other, a relationship might be on their horizon **

**That's about it, any questions you might have feel free to ask**

**The things that happened in between The Ripple Effect's timeline and University of Texas will be explained throughout this story**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Gilmore Girls it belongs to ASP and the CW**

**Enjoy**

* * *

**Jess' point of view**

"What!" I yell annoyed into my phone as I answer it.

"Jess?" Rory asks cautiously.

"Yeah," I answer my voice softening. "Sorry about that Jimmy's got me flipping… well rolling hotdogs, something about needing to go surfing, I don't know."

"So, you're in the hot box?" Rory asks me apologetically. "Is Jenny or Mike there?"

"They were," I reply bitterly. "But I may have scared them away."

Rory lets out a laugh but stops suddenly.

"Is there a reason you called me?" I ask suddenly concerned. "How are Lorelai and the baby?"

"They're fine," Rory reassures me. "She's yelling at Luke for not using protection, but she's happy."

"How far along is she now?" I ask Rory.

"Five months," Rory answers.

"Jeez," I reply scolding myself. "I've been away too long."

"Don't worry we were in Europe for the last two months," Rory says trying to make me feel better.

"I still can't believe Luke went with you," I say in disbelief. "Europe doesn't scream Luke."

"Yeah, well he wouldn't let his pregnant wife go alone," Rory explains. "He didn't even want her to go in the first place."

"And how'd it go with Luke there?" I ask intrigued.

"We snuck out whenever Luke left the room," Rory explains giggling. "And he got so mad."

"I miss mad Luke," I reply sadly. "I should come home."

"Oh yeah," Rory says suddenly remembering. "You need to come home immediately."

"What? Why?" I ask confused and concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Rory reassures me. "It's just that I kind of wrote the date down wrong for the start of Yale…"

"What?" I ask her confused.

"Well, it started two days ago," Rory says quickly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask her frantically. "I was supposed to be there."

"Relax Jess," Rory says trying to calm me down. "I was busy, we got back from Europe and I thought I had a week, but I didn't. Everything has just been so hectic, I forgot to call you."

"Better late then never," I reply bitterly. "I guess."

"So, are you heading back today?" Rory asks me hopefully.

"No," I reply. "Probably tomorrow, I've gotta say goodbye to Jimmy, Sasha and Lily."

"Sure," Rory replies. "Come back soon."

"As soon as my car lets me," I reply. "It's going to take a couple of days."

"Can't you take a plane?" Rory asks hopefully.

"And leave my beautiful car here?" I ask Rory shocked. "How could you say that about Leigh?"

"Leigh?" Rory questions confused. "You gave your car a name."

"No," I correct her. "I named my car after you. Leigh was there for me when you weren't," I say dramatically.

"It's a car," Rory says in disbelief. "A car cannot be a substitute for me."

"We'll of course not," I reply sarcastically. "When I hug Leigh she doesn't hug me back."

"Jess," Rory scolds. "So, I'll see you in a couple of days?"

"Sure," I reply. "I'll be there."

"Okay," Rory says. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah," I respond. "Bye."

"Jess," Jimmy says coming into the hot box. "How's it going?"

"Fine," I reply.

"Were you talking to Rory again?" Jimmy asks as he takes over cooking the hotdogs.

"Yeah," I reply. "It turns out Yale started two days ago."

"I thought you still had a week," Jimmy says to me.

"So did I," I reply sadly.

"So, are you going back today?" Jimmy asks nervously.

"Tomorrow," I answer. "Get a fresh start early in the morning."

"So, you up for a family dinner tonight then?" Jimmy asks nervous again.

"Sure," I reply. "That would be nice."

"Okay," Jimmy replies. "You can stop working now. Go and tell Sasha and Lily the news, I'll be around in an hour or so for dinner."

"Yes, boss," I reply smartly as I leave the hotdog smell behind me.

I walked towards Jimmy's house, taking my time.

I had spent the whole summer with Jimmy. After he showed up at the diner, I felt as though I needed to get to know him, so I came to California in my 67' Chevy Impala. It made it all the way across the country perfectly, nothing went wrong, made good time too. I hadn't told Jimmy I was coming, I probably should have though.

I got here and found the house after a while. And apart from being mauled by seven or more dogs and getting scared shitless by a young girl in a cupboard, it wasn't so bad. Sasha got used to the idea after a bit and so did Jimmy. Jimmy got to know me and I got to know him. After week or so Jimmy sent me to work in his hotdog shack _Dante's Inferno_. I didn't mind though, he was letting me stay for free and I was earning extra money.

So, weeks went by and I got to know Lily fairly well. She loved to read, more than me actually and that kind of freaked me out. But what freaked my out more was her unusual reading spots. We grew fairly close over the summer and usually spent the days reading together or discussing different books. She was a good friend, I told her all about my life in Stars Hollow and all about Rory. Now she wants to come and visit sometime.

Then there was Sasha. Once she got over the fact that she felt I was invading her home and she got over that Jimmy had lied to her about everything, she was good company. She was a little strange, but that was good as it reminded me of some of the townies from Stars Hollow. She got a couple more dogs much to all of our disappointment, but I grew to like them. They reminded me of Milo back home and I wished I had brought him with me, I'm pretty sure Sasha wouldn't have mind. I'd bring him next time, but then again the chances of Sasha letting me leave with him would be fairly slim.

My father Jimmy, I always referred to him as Jimmy. I got over the fact that he abandoned me and everything, but I'd never be able to call him dad or anyone dad for that matter. I came to quickly like Jimmy because he was a lot like me. We liked the same kind of music and he spoke his mind, just like me. He also had a bit of a temper and got set off easily, father like son. It was good getting to know Jimmy it was like I never really knew half of me, but as we talked more things just started falling into place. I suddenly realized how many personal traits I actually got from my once dead beat father.

Even though I'm still a little angry that he ran off, I knew he had to. He explained it to me, he was afraid that I'd end up just like him, worthless. So, he moved away to do something in his life that I would be proud of. It took longer than he had expected, but when he thought he was ready to let me into his life he came down to Stars Hollow. Of course he chickened out, but I ended up following him anyway and I'm glad I did.

And now I have to leave, go back to the real world. I liked living in Venice beach; everything was great, well except the weather. I like living with Jimmy, Sasha and Lily, but I also liked living in Start Hollow with Luke, Lorelai and Rory. I had to leave though, Yale had already started and I'd be late enough as it is. So I had to say goodbye tonight and I knew that it would be hard, but I couldn't wait to see Luke, pregnant Lorelai and of course Rory.

* * *

"Jess, use a knife and fork," Jimmy hisses at me.

"We're eating pizza," I retort from across the table in disbelief.

"Just do it please Jess," Jimmy pleads. "This is pizza from that fancy Italian place."

"Fine," I give in, I knew it was a losing battle.

"So, Jess do you really have to go?" Lily asks me.

"Yeah," I reply. "I've already missed the start of Yale and it's going to take a few days to get back, but I'm hoping they'll still let me in."

"I don't want you to go," Lily pleads. "You're my only friend."

"You'll make friends," I promise her. "School starts soon and I'm sure you'll be able to find a friend. The key is to be approachable and not have your face in a book all the time."

"But…" Lily protests.

"No, buts," I reply defiantly. "Wouldn't you rather a real friend instead of Huck Finn all the time."

"But I like Huckleberry," Lily replies.

"What?" I say in disbelief. "Aren't you allowed to call him Huck?"

"He prefers Huckleberry," Lily defends.

"Just try it for me," I plead with her. "I'll make you a deal. You find a reputable friend and I'll come down and meet them. But if I come all the way down here for some loser, then I'm taking good old Finn and all his friends with me."

"Okay," Lily replies excitedly. "So, as soon as I find a friend you'll come back?"

"To visit," I clarify.

"Will you bring Rory?" Jimmy asks.

"Yeah, bring Rory with you," Sasha agrees excitedly. "You told us so much about her. We all want to meet her."

"I'll ask her," I reply. "But you need to find a friend first," I say to Lily.

"I will," Lily says excitedly.

I loved interacting with Lily, it was like the little sister I never had. I was always trying to protect her from things she didn't even need protecting from.

"So, Yale Jess," Sasha says. "Pretty expensive school."

"Yeah," I reply. "Luke's paying for it. He set up a college fund when I was younger."

"And a pretty smart school," Sasha adds.

"Are you smart enough for Yale, Jess?" Jimmy asks me unsure. "You don't seem academically smart."

"He is," Lily quickly answers for me. "He's the smartest person I know."

"Smarter than you?" Jimmy asks Lily trying to get her to say no. Lily was super smart for her age, child genius or something; she had already skipped a grade or two.

"Of course," Lily says truthfully. "He got into Yale, Harvard, Stanford, University of Texas- well everywhere he applied he got in. Even Princeton let him in and he told them that they sucked as a school in comparison to other schools like Yale, Harvard and even the University of Texas."

"Really?" Jimmy asks confused. "Why'd you piss Princeton off?"

"I was fighting with Rory at the time," I admit to them. "So, I gave Princeton a piece of my mind."

"And it sounds like they liked it," Sasha says happily.

"They offered me a full scholarship," Jess admits. "I would've taken it too. Anything so that Luke didn't have to pay, but I couldn't stay away from Rory for that long, so I followed her."

"You let her make the decision?" Sasha asks skeptically.

"Yeah," I reply. "I knew she'd write a whole lot of pro/con lists to figure out which one was the best school. I never had to doubt that she wouldn't have chosen the best school in the country. I didn't want to be the one to drag her with me down to Texas."

"What's up with you and the University of Texas?" Jimmy asks confused. "It's like you're obsessed with it."

"It's my backup plan," I admit. "If something happens between Rory and me that we can't fix, then I'm going to go to the University of Texas. Let her live her dream life without her having to worry about me."

"So, you applied because of that?" Sasha asks confused.

"Yeah," I reply truthfully. "I didn't think we'd make it this far. So, I always thought that I'd be attending University of Texas this year and not Yale. But we're together and I'm going to stay at Yale as long as we're together. Texas will be waiting for me though. If I screw up which I'm bound to do sometime."

"You won't screw this up, Jess," Lily says reassuringly.

"Yeah," Sasha agrees. "You love her too much. I know you'll fight for her."

"Plus I don't think you'd like Texas," Jimmy adds. "It's worse then California."

"California's actually starting to rub off on me," I admit. "But it's going to be good to get away, it's just too damn hot here."

"Yeah," Jimmy agrees. "Jess and the sun don't really mix."

"You we're here for three months and you didn't even get a tan," Sasha says. "Now that's wrong."

"That's because he was always wearing that leather jacket of his," Lily agrees.

"Well, I was planning on bringing my hoodie," I say to them. "To blend in, but Rory stole it off me before I left and wouldn't let me have it back."

"Girl's already stealing your clothes," Jimmy says in disbelief. "You'll be hitched in no time."

"Jimmy," Sasha warns, probably trying not to scare me off.

"It's fine," I say to her. "Rory and I have discussed marriage and she wants to wait until after college."

"And you're willing to wait for her and to marry her when she wants?" Sasha asks excitedly.

"Sure," I reply. "I know that she is the love of my life and if I have to wait for her to get to the same stage of love as I am, then I'm going to wait."

"You hang onto her Jess," Jimmy says.

"And never let her go," Sasha adds.

"I will," I promise them.

"Do you really have to go?" Lily pleads again.

"Yes," I reply. "And nothing you say will stop me."

"Okay," Lily says in defeat. "I'll stop trying."

"Thank you," I reply earnestly.

* * *

It was four in the morning and I was getting an early start. I packed all my things in my car quietly as to not disturb Jimmy, Sasha and Lily. Once I was all packed up, I turned to the house once more, trying to etch it into my brain, so I wouldn't forget. But as I turned around I saw the three of them in the doorway.

"You weren't going to go without saying goodbye were you?" Sasha asks sadly.

"I didn't want to wake you," I defend. "But seeing as you're all up I guess we can have a proper goodbye."

I walk back over to them.

"Lily," I say as I pull her into a hug first. "I'm going to miss you most. Keep reading, stay in school… Ummm, get some friends."

"Sure," Lily replies as she pulls out of the hug. "I'll miss you too."

"Sasha," I say as I awkwardly hug. "Thanks for letting me stay here I really appreciate it."

"That's okay," Sasha replies and I pull out of the hug. "I'm sorry for being a pain when you first came."

"That's fine," I reply. "Jimmy…" I say nervously.

"Jess," Jimmy says equally as nervous. "Come here," He says as he pulls me into a hug. "I'm glad you came."

"Me too," I reply truthfully. "It was good."

I pull out of the hug and take a step back.

"Keep in touch," Sasha says sadly.

"Yeah," Jimmy agrees. "Try and phone at least once a week."

"Sure," I reply. "I can do that."

"No, more than once a week," Lily says on the verge of tears as she hugs me again. "I don't want you to go."

"I have to," I say as I pull out of the hug still holding onto her shoulders. "You'll be fine and I'll try and call two times a week, but no promises."

"Okay," Lily replies. "You better go before I latch onto your leg and never let go."

"I'll consider myself warned," I say as I let go of her. "I see you guys later," I say and then walk towards the car and get in.

"Don't forget to call," Lily says sadly.

"And you can visit anytime you want," Sasha says.

"Yeah," Jimmy agrees. "You're welcome here anytime."

"Okay, thanks," I say as I look at them one last time. "I'll call you when I get there, see you."

"Bye," They all respond as I pull out onto the street and start the long journey to Yale, New Haven.

* * *

**A/N- I have another story out called- **_**I can't read your mind**_**- It's a Heroes/Gilmore Girls crossover, but you don't need to have watched Heroes before to read it. It focuses on Rory and Jess relationship, as Jess discovers that he has some new found abilities. It will be a lit- So check it out if you have time. **

**So, here's your sequel, hope you enjoyed it**

**Review to tell me what you thought **


	2. Philadelphia

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews**- bluedancer, CammieSwan1785, Curley-Q, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, KassiLou, kathi-ryn, KinneticsHollow, mizskitles220, Polly, Rory&Jess Fanatic, seebear, smartbookworm, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

**So some of you are confused by the title of this story, but then again some of you got it. I'll explain it anyway- It's a metaphor, Jess' own personal hell. He knows that if things don't work between Rory and him that he will be the one leaving, so he sees University of Texas as his fall back option for life. But this doesn't necessary mean that if things do go wrong that he's going to end up in Texas, it's just a metaphor. If you're still confused just disregard the title and replace it with something of your own, like say… Yale University**

**Disclaimer- I do not own**

**Enjoy**

* * *

I got out of my car and slammed the door. My car, my beautiful car that made it all the way across the country to California decided to break down in Philadelphia of all places. I lifted the bonnet and had a look at the engine. Now I didn't know much about cars, but I knew enough to figure out what was wrong with it. I checked the gas, oil and water, all fine. I checked to see if it was firing and it was, I now had no idea what was wrong with it. Everything seemed fine, yet it wouldn't start. I sat down on the bonnet and thought about what to do next when two guys approached me.

"Car troubles?" One of them asked me.

"Yeah," I reply, they seemed harmless enough to converse with. "You know anything about cars?"

"They have four doors, right?" The other guy says.

"I'll take that as a no then," I say getting a little annoyed.

"I'm Chris," The first guy says. "And this is Matt."

"Jess," I reply sincerely.

"Nice to meet you," Chris says cordially.

"We could call someone for you," Matt suggests. "A mechanic… or a tow truck."

"A tow truck?" I ask him confused.

"I don't know what to say in these situations," Matt apologizes.

"Yeah," Chris agrees. "No ones ever broken down in front of our business before."

"You own that?" I ask them in disbelief, looking at the empty run down building behind them.

"We will," Matt answers. "We're just a little short on the deposit."

"What are you going to open up?" I ask them curiously. "A comic book store?"

"That was an option," Chris answers. "But we decided to go bigger, more professional."

"We're opening up a publishing house," Matt practically screams he's so excited.

"And do either of you know anything about publishing?" I ask them.

"It has something to do with books, doesn't it?" Matt asks sarcastically.

"We know enough," Chris replies. "But for the most part we're just going to go for it and see what happens."

"That doesn't sound like a good plan," I say to them.

"If it's meant to happen then it's meant to happen," Matt replies philosophically.

"We're you from anyway," Chris ask me.

"Connecticut," I reply.

"Damn," Matt mutters.

"What?" I ask him confused.

"Well, you seem like a cool guy," Matt explains. "And your back seat is littered with books… I just thought you'd make a good partner."

"Leave him alone," Chris scolds Matt. "You just want to get the rest of that deposit."

"Well how else are we going to get it?" Matt replies as my phone rings.

"Excuse me," I say to the two guys as I answer my phone. "Rory?" I ask her.

"Yeah," Rory replies. "How's it going are you nearly here yet?"

"Not really," I reply. "My car decided to break down. I don't know what's wrong with it."

"Great," Rory replies. "Yale sucks without you here. There are all these weird guys."

"It's Yale," I reply knowingly. "And I should be there as soon as I figure out what's wrong with the car."

"Where are you anyway?" Rory asks me.

"Philly," I reply.

"As in get you Philly Cheesesteaks," Rory asks excitedly.

"One in the same," I reply.

"What's going on there?" Rory asks. "Is some married couple fighting near you?"

"You could say that," I answer with a laugh. "They sure do seem married."

"What?" Chris asks me confused.

"Come on honey we can work this out," Matt says lovingly to Chris.

"Do you know them?" Rory asks me laughing.

"We just met," I reply. "They're helping me… well they don't actually know anything about cars, so I don't know why there still here."

"We're here to make sure no one steals out property," Matt yells into the phone.

"You get that?" I ask Rory.

"Yeah," Rory replies. "So you broke down in front of their potential property?"

"Something like that," I reply. "I was actually thinking of buying it so that they would go away."

"You wouldn't," Chris says in disbelief.

"You don't have the money for that Jess," Rory says to me.

"Yeah, but if I had the money I would've brought it by now," I reply. "Philly's got some crazy people," I say looking at Matt and Chris.

"Hey," Chris retorts.

"He's not loaded?" Matt asks in disbelief. "Damn."

"I've got to get this sorted out," I say to Rory.

"Okay," Rory replies. "Call me when you're on the road again, you're already late."

"I know I'm late," I reply annoyed. "I'm working on that, I'll call you later."

"Hurry," Rory replies. "I'm betting that these Yale guys are worse than your Philly guys."

"Sure," I say. "Be there as soon as I can, I love you."

"Love you too," Rory replies and I hang up the phone.

"Who was that?" Chris asks confused.

"Was it your mother?" Matt asks.

"No," I reply quickly. "That was my girlfriend Rory." Now that sounded weird I never really called Rory my girlfriend before, in Cali Sasha just guessed and then told everyone she knew. It sounded weird, but good weird.

"Is she a keeper?" Chris asks me.

"Yeah," I reply a smile gracing my lips.

"Is she loaded?" Matt asks.

"Matt," Chris warns. "Stop trying to steal other people's money."

"Fine," Matt relents. "So you said you were late, late for what?"

"Yale," I reply. "And I'm guessing that they frown upon lateness, so I have to get this car fixed as soon as possible."

"Yale?" Chris replies in disbelief. "Good school."

"Expensive school," Matt adds. "Are you sure you're not loaded."

"I'm not," I reply sharply, this guy Matt was starting to get on my nerves. "My uncle's paying my way."

"So, a rich uncle?" Matt asks confused.

"No," I reply. "He's just been saving up since I was born."

"He sounds cool," Chris says. "I wish my uncle made me a college fund. Then I wouldn't be sitting out the front of a vacant building steering away potential buyers."

"You'd still be here," Matt corrects. "You never wanted to go to college."

"But then we would have the money for the deposit," Chris corrects.

"Jeez," I reply. "How much do you need for the deposit anyway?"

"5000," Chris replies. "I don't know how we're going to come up with that kind of cash."

"If I give you the money will you shut up?" I ask Chris.

"You have 5000 dollars on you?" Matt asks in disbelief.

"Yeah," I reply as I walk around the car and open up the back door. "I was working all summer, plus I had brought some with me."

"You would just give us 5000 dollars," Chris asks confused. "What do you want from us?"

"I don't know," I reply as I grab the money. "How about a say in the name, a job if I ever need one, and I get to be a third partner, which means I get a say in everything?"

"Deal," Matt says as he grabs the money.

"That's going to cost more than 5000," Chris says.

"I know," I reply. "I can send you guys some more when I get back home."

"Okay, deal," Chris agrees as he shakes my hand. "We'll draw up a contract just to be safe and we'll send it to you."

"Just remember that every decision has to come through me," I say to them, but mainly looking at Matt. He seemed like the unpredictable one of the two, whereas Chris seemed to act more professional.

"I'll put that in the contract," Chris agrees happily. "I can't believe this is all happening. Your car breaking down here, you offering us money, this is so righteous."

"Yeah," I agree. "Now all I have to do is get my car working and then I can leave."

"I'm going to put the deposit down," Matt says. "Before I spend the money on that bar for sale down the street," Matt says excitedly as he walks quickly away.

"Don't go near that bar," Chris sighs as Matt walks away. "He wants a bar too," Chris tells me.

I lift the bonnet of the car again, looking for something I may have missed.

"Try and start the car," I say to Chris and he gets in the front seat.

He turns the key and it sounds promising, but then it dies. He tries again and the same thing.

"Okay," I say to Chris. "Leave it for a minute."

"Okay," Chris replies.

I go through my check again. Gas, oil water, spark… battery. How could I forget to check the battery?

"What's this?" I hear Chris ask.

"What," I reply from under the hood as I check the battery terminals.

"Your notebook here," Chris says. "It was sitting on the front seat."

Damn, I thought. It was just random thoughts I had written down in Cali, no one was supposed to ever see it.

"Nothing," I reply trying to get him to drop the subject.

"It's good," Chris says impressed as he gets out of the car with it. "You're a good writer."

"Sure," I reply sarcastically as I focus on the battery, one of the terminals seemed to be loose.

"No, it really is," Chris tries to reassure me. "How much have you got written?"

"I don't know," I reply truthfully. "A few chapters."

"You should finish this," Chris says proudly. "And then we'll publish it."

"What?" I ask confused as I focus my full attention on Chris.

"I said we'd publish it," Chris repeats. "We are going to be running a publishing house, so we better get some personal gain out of it."

"No," I reply stubbornly. "I don't want this published… I was just bored."

"But it's good," Chris replies. "Just finish it and we'll discuss it later. You do have a third in the decision making, so we wouldn't publish it without your permission."

"Okay," I relent. I knew that I would have the final say in the matter so I let it drop. "Can you grab me a Phillips head from the boot?" I ask Chris.

"A what?" He replies confused.

"A screwdriver," I correct. "It's the opposite of a flat head screwdriver."

"Okay," Chris replies as he goes around to the boot and brings back the whole tool box a minute later. "I thought it would be easier for you to find," Chris tells me. "It looks all the same to me."

I sigh and open up the tool box and grab out the Phillips head straight away.

"Thanks," I reply as I tighten up the loose terminal and throw the screwdriver back in the box. "You can put it back now."

"Okay," Chris says as he returns the tool box to the boot and shuts it.

I give everything a once over and everything seems fine.

"Give it a go again," I say to Chris and he gets in the car again.

He turns the key and it starts straight away. He turns the car off and joins me.

"So you fixed the car?" Chris asks me excitedly. "What was wrong with it?"

"Loose terminal," I tell him as I close the bonnet.

"Car's have terminals?" He asks in disbelief. "Like train terminals?"

"No, not exactly," I reply. There was no way I was going to explain it to him, it'd probably take all day.

"We have it," Matt says excitedly and out of breath as he rejoins us. "The real-estate agent is bringing the key over later."

"That's so righteous," Chris says getting equally excited. "I can't believe we own the building."

"Well I'm off," I say as I grab a piece of paper and write my details on it. "Here's my information, call me whenever."

"Wait, aren't you excited?" Matt asks me.

"No," I reply. "Not really."

"Why not?" Chris asks sadly.

"Because excitement usually leads to disappointment," I explain to them.

"Come celebrate with us," Matt says. "We'll go to that bar that's not our bar yet."

"We're not buying a bar," Chris tells Matt sternly.

"I can't come," I say to them. "Sorry."

"You have to come," Chris all but pleads. "You're our business partner and first client."

"First client?" Matt asks confused. "What?"

"Jess can write," Chris says excitedly. "He's written a few chapters already and it's so good."

"So we already have a client," Matt says excitedly. "Cool."

"You do realize that even if I do decide to publish this book," I explain to them. "That you won't get much money because I own a third of the business."

"So," Chris counters. "It's so good that we're going to sell a million copies and when you write your second book..."

"Second book?" I ask him confused. "You're banking too much of this business' future on my writing potential."

"Well you did single-handedly get our business on its feet," Matt says proudly.

"Yeah," Chris agrees.

"I put forward 5000 dollars," I argue. "How much did you guy's put forward?"

"7000," Matt replies.

"See," I say. "That's two thousand more than me."

"7000 together," Chris clarifies. "It was 3500 a piece."

"So you own technically own more of this business than we do," Matt explains.

"I'm still not coming for drinks," I reply. "I really need to get to Yale before they kick me out."

"Let them kick you out," Matt says. "Then you can come live in Philly with us."

"I can't," I reply. "Rory's waiting for me."

"Suit yourself," Matt says and I get in my car.

"Thanks for everything Jess," Chris says through the open window. "We really do appreciate it."

"No problem," I reply. "Right place, right time I guess."

"We'll call you when something comes up," Matt says.

"And I'll get the contract drawn up and sent out to you," Chris adds.

"Yeah," I reply. "Thanks."

"See you," Chris says as I pull out of the park. "Thanks again."

"Come and visit Philly again soon," Matt says sadly. "You can come and check up on the business, see that we're doing everything right."

"Yeah, sure," I promise them as I leave them behind and head towards New Haven.

I just brought a third of a publishing business I thought to myself as I hit the highway. I couldn't believe I just gave two strangers 5000 dollars. I didn't even know them, yet I was throwing money at them. I had this gut feeling though, they seemed like alright guys and if their business picks up I might actually be able to get some extra money coming in. And if not then I was only out of pocket 5000.

If I had any doubts, they were all gone because I was finally heading back towards New Haven to see Rory. I hadn't seen her in three months. I'd only talked to her on the phone, so I couldn't wait to see her again, to kiss and hug her again and never let go. It would take about four hours to get to there. I was thankful that I would be there mid afternoon at the latest, as long as there was light traffic. So four hours until I got to see Rory again, I remembered that she told me to call her when I was back on the road, but I decided not to, I wanted to surprise her.

* * *

**A/N- Review, tell me what your thought **


	3. Stars Hollow

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews-**Amanda, bluedancer, CammieSwan1785, Curley-Q, I-luv-jess-mariano, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, kylielink, Literati44, mizskitles220, Rory&Jess Fanatic, seebear, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Do Not Own**

**Enjoy**

* * *

I had finally arrived at Yale and decided to check out my dorm before I went to Rory's. I walk up a couple of flights of stairs and knock on the door.

"Can I help you?" A guy answers.

"Jess Mariano," I reply. "I think I'm your suitemate."

"Was," The guy corrects.

"What?" I ask confused.

"They gave your room up," The guy replies. "I'm Glenn by the way."

"Great," I say annoyed. "So they gave my room?"

"Yeah," Glenn replies. "To some guy named Chester Fleet, and he's annoying the crap out of me. I think I'm going crazy."

"Well," I say as I turn to leave. "Good luck with that."

"Where are you going to stay?" Glenn asks me. "Because you can stay here if you want, it was your dorm after all."

"No thanks," I reply.

"Just until you find your own place," Glenn clarifies.

"Its fine," I reply as I once again turn to leave. I was actually thankful that I had lost my dorm because Glenn seemed a little… unstable. Maybe he and Chester will be perfect for each other, and hopefully I don't cross either one of their paths again.

"I'll see you around campus," Glenn shouts after me.

"Sure," I reply.

I now set off for Rory's dorm thankfully it was only a few flights down. I had called up Luke earlier and found out where she was staying, so that I could surprise her. I was now waiting outside her door nervously. I knocked on the door quickly before I could do anything rash. I was surprised when Paris answered the door. Luke didn't tell me that Paris was one of Rory's roommates.

"Rory it's for you," Paris says as soon as she notices me.

"What?" Rory asks confused as she gets off the couch and sees me. "Jess," She squeals as she runs and jumps into my arms. She wraps her legs tightly around my waist, not wanting to let go. I didn't mind though because there was no way I was letting go either.

"Hey Rory," I says sweetly in her ear. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Rory replies. "Don't ever go away again," Rory pleads.

"Not unless you're right there with me," I agree.

"I don't want to let go," Rory whines.

"Then don't," I suggest and I walk us both over to the couch and sit down. I move Rory so that she is now sitting in my lap and she snuggles her head into my chest.

"I can't believe you're back," Rory says to me. "It's been like forever."

"Yeah," I agree. "Sorry I was gone so long."

"I was in Europe for two of those months," Rory argues. "Plus we both decided to split up for the summer, remember?"

"Yeah," I reply. "That was a stupid idea wasn't it?" I ask her as I lift her head off of my chest and kiss her lovingly.

"Ummm," This guy sitting next to us on the couch clears his throat.

"Ah," I say in realization as I stop kissing Rory and turn my attention to the guy. "I'm Jess… Rory's boyfriend."

"Marty," The guy replies disappointed.

"Rory's mentioned you," I reply. I refrained from calling him naked guy that probably wouldn't have gone over too well.

"She's mentioned me?" Marty asks his mood suddenly picking up again.

"Of course I have," Rory replies.

"You were the main focus of her Yale stories, well apart from Paris." I explain.

"So you know Paris?" Marty asks.

"Yeah," I reply. "I've met her a couple of times before."

"You're friends," Rory says to me.

"Never," I reply. "It's Paris Gellar, enough said."

"You know I'm sharing a dorm with her," Rory explains. "So you're going to have to get along."

"Yeah," I reply. "But we can always escape to your room."

"Let me clarify that," Rory says. "I have four roommates, which means that Paris and I have to share a room."

"Oh," I say in realization. "Is this a bad time to tell you that I need to crash here for the night."

"What?" Rory asks confused. "Why?"

"Ummmm," Marty clears his throat again trying to get our attention.

"Sorry," Rory apologizes. "Sometimes we get a little carried away."

"Yeah," I agree as I kiss Rory quickly and then pull away.

"So," Marty says obviously uncomfortable. "How long have you two been going out for?"

"Two years," I reply without thinking.

"Well, two years in two months," Rory corrects.

"Yeah," I agree. "November… the 27th."

"Two months," Marty muses quietly. "And you just left her for the summer?" Marty accuses me.

"Yeah," I reply sadly. "I had some things to work out and she was going to Europe for two months anyway, so we figured we'd both go our separate ways and meet back at Yale."

"Okay," Marty says. "And you were fine with this?" Marty asks Rory.

"Yeah," Rory replies. "As he said I was in Europe too."

"So you guys just broke up for three months?" Marty asks us.

"No," I reply forcefully. "We were still together… just a continent or two apart."

"And it worked out fine?" Marty asks. "You guys look like you haven't been apart for three months."

"Well we talked all the time," Rory explains.

"Plus," I add. "Rory went to Washington for the summer last year, so we had been apart for that long before."

"Must've been hard," Marty says.

"Yeah," I agree. "You have no idea." I say and then kiss Rory again. More passionately and forcefully this time, I needed her close, I missed her so much.

"Maybe I should go," Marty suggests uncomfortable.

"Okay," I agree breaking away from the kiss much to Rory's disappointment. "Come back soon."

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "I'll see you later."

"Okay, sure," Marty replies uneasily as he heads for the door.

"Well that was interesting," I say to Rory as I kiss her again, but she pulls away.

"How do you do that to me?" Rory asks frustrated.

"Do what?" I ask her confused.

"Get me so distracted that I forget everything around me," Rory explains.

"No idea," I reply as I try to kiss her again, but she turns her head. I let out a sigh, but kiss her neck tenderly instead.

"I forgot Marty was here," Rory continues. "Marty… my friend."

"He's a big boy," I say in between kisses. "I'm sure he'll get over it."

"But…" Rory starts, but I silence her with my lips crashing down on hers, I can feel her weakening. "Jess," Rory says pushing me off.

"What?" I ask her confused as I stop kissing her.

"Three other roommates," Rory explains. "Including Paris whom I share a room with."

"Yeah," I sigh. "So much for thinking that college was our escape."

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "And what were you saying about crashing here tonight? What's wrong with your dorm?"

"Yeah about that," I say to Rory. "I stopped by my dorm before I came here and turns out Yale gave it up to some other kid."

"No," Rory says disappointed. "Where are you going to live?"

"I'll find a place," I reassure her. "There's bound to be at least one person at Yale who needs a roommate."

"Okay," Rory agrees. "And in the meantime you'll be staying where?"

"Here," I reply. "But I figured we could head down to The Hollow tomorrow seeing as its Saturday, then I could get a couple of good nights sleep in my own bed."

"Really?" Rory asks happily.

"Sure," I reply. "I haven't seen Luke or Lorelai in three months either. Plus Lorelai's got to be looking fairly pregnant by now, being five months and all."

"So tomorrow," Rory clarifies. "We can eat breakfast at Luke's."

"Sure," I reply. "Maybe we should get some sleep then."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Rory asks me. "On the couch?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of in your bed with you," I say flirtatiously as I kiss Rory sweetly.

"Ummm," Rory replies breaking the kiss. "Roommates."

"I know," I reply. "I meant sleep, not sleep with. Your mind's gotten so dirty since going to Europe," I say playfully to Rory.

"Shut up," Rory replies as she gets up and heads to the door, I follow her.

"Nice," I say as we walk into her joint room with Paris.

"Here," Rory says as she throws my hoodie at me. "Your hoodie doesn't smell like you anymore," Rory says sadly.

I glance over at Rory and smile. She stole my hoodie before I left, she must've been using it to sleep at Yale. I already knew from Luke and Lorelai that the first month I was gone she would only sleep in my bed and nowhere else, it was cute.

"Jess?" Rory asks me softly interrupting my thoughts. "You can have your hoodie back… for now."

"Okay," I reply letting out a little laugh. "Thanks."

"Put the hoodie on now," Rory says to me and I comply. "That's better now come and sleep," Rory says as she gets into her bed.

"Sure thing," I reply as I snuggle up next to her and pull the blankets up over us. I put my arm lovingly around her waist and pull her close. "I love you," I whisper softly to her, but she was already asleep.

* * *

"Jess, Jess!" Rory yells from next to me and I open up my eyes.

"Have a good sleep?" I ask her.

"The best," Rory replies sarcastically. "Now get dressed so that we can head down to Stars Hollow," Rory says excitedly.

"Okay," I mumble as I close my eyes.

"Jess," Rory says as she walks over to the bed and kisses me lovingly. I lean forward to deepen the kiss only to have Rory pull away a few seconds later.

"No fair," I mumble.

"Stars Hollow," Rory says as she pulls the blankets off of me. "Now!"

"You're so demanding," I say as I get out of bed and hug her.

"Well you should be glad that you have your own dorm to escape to," Rory says. "Oh… well you will have one day."

"Let's go," I say to Rory as I grab her hand. "Your car or mine?"

"You're not getting changed?" Rory asks me.

"I have no dorm," I tell Rory. "Plus everything's in my car."

"Let's take your car then, just in case," Rory says excitedly. "Plus they will be able to hear your car from a mile away, so they will know that we are coming."

"Okay," I reply as we head towards the parking lot.

We jump in my car and head for the highway.

"So Marty seemed nice," I say to Rory.

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "He's a good friend."

"Just a friend?" I ask Rory. I knew she didn't think of him that way, but I wondered if she knew that he liked her.

"Yeah," Rory answers sharply. "Just a friend."

"So how's Yale?" I ask her avoiding the subject of Marty.

"It's good," Rory answers. "Even better now that you're here."

"Yeah," I reply. "I make everything better."

"You're so full of yourself," Rory replies annoyed.

"You love it," I say as I take my eyes off the road for a second and grin at her. "What's this I hear about you sleeping in my bed whilst I was gone?" I ask Rory turning my attention back to the road again.

"You weren't using it," Rory defends.

"It's okay," I reply whilst laughing. "I was just teasing you."

"Tell me more about California and Philadelphia," Rory says excitedly. "How was your father?"

"Alright?" I reply truthfully. "Better than I expected at least, he wasn't the dead beat that I always made him out to be."

"Well that's good," Rory replies. "And you mentioned something about Sasha and Lily?"

"Yeah, they were great," I explain. "Lily's smart, reads way too much. Sasha was like a mom to me, which did get annoying at times. They all want to meet you sometime."

"Really?" Rory asks nervously. "You told them about me?"

"Of course," I reply. "And don't worry they're going to love you."

"Okay," Rory accepts. "And how about Philly get your Philly Cheesesteaks, Philly."

"I think they're just going by Philly, now," I say jokingly to Rory. "And that was great. I met Chris and Matt."

"The old married couple?" Rory questions.

"Yeah," I agree. "But more like two single, straight, desperate, males, compared to an old married couple."

"And did they help you fix your car?" Rory asks.

"No," I answer as I let out a laugh. "They know absolutely nothing about cars."

"So did they end up getting their business?" Rory asks excitedly.

"Yeah," I reply smiling. "They found the extra money and Matt went and brought it while I was still there."

"Wow!" Rory replies. "You were there when their dream came true, that's amazing."

"Sure," I reply. "They both deserved it."

"That's cool," Rory says. "Is there any chance that they want to meet me too?" Rory asks hopefully. "Or any chance that you're going to go back to Philly and visit them?"

"Who wouldn't want to meet you?" I ask Rory as I grab her hand gently and intertwine our fingers together. "And yeah I'll be heading back there sometime soon," I tell her and she smiles.

"You promised last night that you wouldn't go anywhere without me," Rory explains. "So?"

"Of course you will be coming with me," I reassure Rory as I give her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm never going anywhere without you again."

"Me either," Rory says as she looks at me. "Ummm Jess you might want to watch the road," Rory say frantically.

"Oh, right," I reply as I turn my attention back to the road. "You're too distracting," I tell her.

"Sorry," Rory apologizes as she blushes.

"So how is pregnant Lorelai?" I ask Rory changing the subject again. "Anything that I need to be pre warned about?"

"Not really," Rory replies. "Just don't give her coffee no matter what. Also don't question her healthy eating because she can get a little violent."

"I'm guessing that violent pregnant Lorelai needs to be avoided at all times?" I ask Rory.

"Yeah," She answers. "It's for everyone's sake. We're here, are you ready?" Rory asks me excitedly.

"Sure," I reply as I get out of the car. "I missed them more than I thought I would."

"Well let's go," Rory says excitedly. "They're going to be so excited."

"Okay," I say as I grab Rory's hand. "Do you promise to protect me from the angry pregnant lady?" I ask slightly scared.

"Sure," Rory replies as she opens the diner door. "I'll try my best."

"Jess," Lorelai screams as soon as she sees me.

"Lorelai," I reply as I go over to her and give her an awkward hug. "How's the baby?" I ask nervously looking at her ever expanding stomach.

"It's good," Lorelai replies. "But Luke won't let me have coffee."

"Lorelai we've been over this," Luke sighs as he comes out of the kitchen. "I'm not having my baby coming out with a caffeine addiction."

"Or two heads," Rory agrees.

"Fine," Lorelai gives in. "But when I push out_ your_child I expect to get double the amount of coffee that I was originally getting."

"No," Luke replies sternly.

"Give her what she wants," I say to Luke.

"Jess," Luke says surprised. "You're back."

"I'm back," I reply. "How's things…"

I start but am interrupted by Luke hugging me forcefully.

"Sorry," Luke replies as he pulls out of the hug.

"It's okay," I say trying to catch my breath. "I missed you too."

"Yeah," Luke replies gruffly. "Me too."

"Well that was manly," Lorelai says. "Have a seat Jess, tell me about everything?"

"Oh, that reminds me," Luke says as he goes behind the counter. "This came for you today Jess," Luke says as he hands me the big white envelope. "It says it's from Philadelphia."

"Ah," I say in realization as I grab the envelope off Luke. "That was quick."

"Probably because it was sent by express post," Lorelai replies sarcastically.

"Funny," I reply dryly as I set the envelope down.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Luke asks me.

I could open it, but I already knew what it was, it was the contract for the publishing house. If I did open it in front of them then I would have to explain it to them and Luke would definitely give me a lecture about being responsible, so I decided to leave it unopened.

"Jess," Rory asks me waving her hand in front of my face.

"What?" I ask her confused.

"You spaced out there for a minute," Rory replies.

"This looks like a contract," Lorelai replies. I look over at Lorelai and notice that she's already opened the envelope, so much for the plan I thought to myself.

"You know it's a crime to open other peoples mail," I say jokingly to Lorelai, I didn't want to make her angry, according to Rory that would be bad.

"Why do you have a contract?" Luke asks confused. "From Philadelphia."

"No reason," I reply evading the question, maybe I could confuse them all.

"Does this have anything to do with Matt, Chris and the business they brought?" Rory asks catching on.

"Yeah," I give in. "They wanted me to check over the contract for them… see if everything's in order," It was only a part lie.

"It's says here that you're entitled to a third of the business," Lorelai states.

"When did you become a lawyer?" I ask Lorelai lightly, still not wanting to set her off.

"Give me a look," Luke says as he takes the contract off of Lorelai. "It says here that you've already put forward 5,000 dollars and have agreed to pay more. Is this correct?"

Great, I thought.

"Yeah," I reply as I look down at the table.

"They needed more money for a deposit," Rory muses out loud. "That means that you paid the rest of the deposit."

"They needed the money," I argue. "And it seemed like a good business opportunity."

"So you just met two random guys," Luke says. "And willingly gave them 5,000 dollars?"

"That's about right," I reply.

"How could you be so irresponsible Jess?" Luke asks me angrily. "They probably just took your money and split.

"I think the contract proof that they didn't," Rory tells Luke, at least Rory was on my side.

"I guess," Luke replies. "But it was still a stupid decision."

"But it was my decision to make," I tell Luke. "I've heard somewhere that you learn from your mistakes."

"Fine," Luke replies. "But if this all comes crashing down on top of you don't come running to me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I reply.

"So Jess," Lorelai says changing the subject. "You own a business, how does it feel?"

"I don't know," I reply sarcastically. "The same as before I owned a business."

"You must be excited though," Lorelai says. "Starting a business and all."

"I guess," I reply, I hadn't really put much thought into the matter.

"I think we're overlooking something," Rory says. "What type of business is this?"

"Publishing," I respond. "That's all I know, but I think I can swing them into making it a bookstore too."

"Wow," Luke says. "You've thought about this."

"Not really," I reply. "I just know what I want."

"A publishing business," Rory says excitedly. "That's so cool. I was thinking it was going to be a pizza shop or something."

"And you think I would put in 5,000 dollars for a pizza shop?" I ask Rory in disbelief.

"You could have been thinking of Rory and me whilst you brought it," Lorelai suggests. "You know how much we love pizza."

"Okay," I reply. "Have your wild fantasies. I'm going home- forget angry pregnant Lorelai, I don't think you want to see angry annoyed Jess. "

* * *

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	4. Yale, New Haven

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Amanda, Curley-Q, gilmoreluver06, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, kylielink, mizskitles220, Rory&Jess Fanatic, seebear, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not mine**

**Enjoy**

* * *

I was looking at the notice board, looking for a place to stay. I had missed introduction, plus a week or so, and they gave up my dorm to someone else. I'm just glad they didn't cut my classes as well. So, now I was homeless and here I am looking at the notices trying to find a cheap place to stay.

"Looking for a room," Someone asks me as they approach, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," I answer back still looking at the board.

"Anything good?" They ask again.

"Not really," I reply finally facing them. "Most of them are out of my price range."

"Not a part of society then?" They ask curiously.

"No, my Uncle's paying my way," I respond, I didn't know why I was telling a stranger about all this, but they seemed interested.

"I have a place," They say excitedly.

"Huh?" I reply trying not to get my hopes up.

"And I just happen to be looking for a roommate," They explain. "My friends deserted me."

"Is it cheap?" I ask. It was the first thing that came to my mind, but then again probably the best question to ask.

"It's free," They respond.

"Free," I stutter out. This must be a dream. I was looking for a place to live and this person was offering it to me… for free.

"Yeah," They answer. "It's been paid for already by my roommate."

"You're part of the society crowd then?" I ask the stranger taken aback slightly.

"Not by choice," They respond distantly, obviously thinking of something else.

"So you don't mind me being your roommate then?" I ask snapping them out of their thoughts.

"No," They reply. "You intrigue me."

"I'm not doing this if I'm going to be your pet or something," I say bitterly. "Or some science experiment."

"Relax," They say soothingly. "I said you merely intrigued me, not that I want you to rub up against my leg occasionally... although that would be something different."

"Okay," I reply nervously.

"So, you'll be my roommate then?" They ask a little too excitedly.

"Sure," I reply. "It's free and you seem overly excited, how can I refuse."

"You can't," They reply.

"That was a rhetorical question," I say to them.

"Ah, but a question at that," They reply. "And what are questions if they are not to be answered."

"That was rhetorical," I state. "So, I'm not going to answer it."

"Fine by me," They reply. "So, you're free to move in whenever. The only condition is that it's only for a year. So, then you're going to have to find another place at the end of the school year. But if I get attached to you, then we could always look for a place together." I look up at them wide eye. "Okay, we'll discuss that later," They say defending themselves. "So, where's the rest of your stuff or do you want to see the room before you decide?"

"I'm sure the room will be fine," I respond. "And the rest of my stuff is in my car, which is in some parking lot around here."

"What kind of car is it?" They ask excitedly as we wander off to find it.

"Black 1967 Chevy Impala," I answer proudly.

They scoff, obviously disgusted.

"A Chevy?" They ask trying to sound sincere.

"Yeah, that one there," I say motioning towards my car.

"Oh my," They say suddenly excited as they run over to it, I followed behind them wondering why the sudden change. "I love it."

"I told you what it was," I say to them confused. "And I thought that you were going to vomit due to your disgust."

"You said Chevy," They reply all but hugging the car. "I was thinking Chevy Chase."

"You know, he's not a car?" I ask them in disbelief.

"How was I to know that you didn't phone Chevy Chase up and say '_Hey I need to get to school, could you give me a lift_?" They argue and I look at them like they were crazy and they probably were. "It happens," They add.

"Is it too late to find another place to live?" I ask myself.

"Yes," They say as they put there arm around me. I tried to shrug it off, but they wouldn't let go.

"I don't even know your name?" I reply still trying to get out of their grasp.

"Oh, how impolite of me," They say as they finally let me go and I take a step back from them immediately. "I'm Finn."

"As in the fin of a fish?" I ask confused, it was an unusual name.

"Yeah," They agree excitedly. "But mine has two n's."

"Okay," I reply a little freaked out. "Doesn't sound very… society."

"Phineas Morgan Rothschild the Third," Finn replies formally. "Is that society enough for you?"

"Sure," I reply, it did sound fairly impressive.

"Just don't go repeating it," Finn says somewhat serious. "I have a reputation to keep."

"Okay," I reply. "Where are you from anyway?" I noticed his accent when I first met him, it sounded Australian, but I didn't want to offend him if I was wrong.

"Australia originally," Finn replies. "Moved around a bit because of school, but the rest of my family is back in Australia."

"And you decided to go to Yale of all places?" I ask him confused.

"Sure," Finn replies. "My dad used to attend Yale."

"How ab…" I begin but am cut off by a blonde girl.

"Phineas," The girl yells. "You were supposed to meet me at your dorm over 15 minutes ago."

"Sorry love," Finn replies. "I found myself a new… roommate."

"Already trying to forget Logan and Colin?" She asks Finn. "You know it's not their fault that they left without you, your dad did threaten them."

"They could've told me first," Finn replies. "Instead of saying _'We're going to get some ice-cream, we'll be back in a minute,'_ and then the next day they call and say that they picked up the yacht in Mexico."

"Oh well, what can you do?" She asks as she turns her attention to me. "Awe he's a cutie can we keep him?"

"What?" I ask confused.

"I'm Stephanie," The girl says formally.

"Jess," I reply nervously. "How about we move some of my stuff?" I ask Finn.

"Nah," Finn replies. "I call someone to do it for you and then we can go to the pub instead."

"Ummm," I falter. The idea wasn't totally unappealing, but didn't I despise rich people who flaunted their money to get whatever they wanted. "It's alright, I can do it," I reply standing my ground.

"But…" Finn protests.

"It's no big deal," I reply as I grab a box out of the back seat. "Just show me the dorm and then you guys can go to the pub."

"Okay," Finn says excitedly. "It's this way."

"Finn," Stephanie warns.

"Fine," Finn relents as he grabs a box of my stuff from the back seat. "You're killing me woman," Finn says to Stephanie and she lets out a laugh.

We walk towards the dorm in silence.

"Wow," I say as Stephanie opens the door. It was a large dorm, compared to Rory's. Complete with living room, kitchen and it looked like about four separate bedrooms.

"Do you like it?" Stephanie asks me.

"Sure," I reply trying to sound indifferent. "It'll do fine. Which one is my room?" I ask Finn.

"You can use Steph's," Finn replies walking over to one of the doors. "She can just use Colin's if she has to crash here."

"Finn," Stephanie says annoyed as she hits Finn.

"What?" Finn defends. "Don't think that Logan and I don't know that you sneak into Colin's room in the middle of the night when you think that we are asleep."

"Fine," Stephanie gives in. "I'm going to the pub."

"Yes," Finn says excitedly.

"Oh no," Stephanie replies. "You're going to stay here and help your new roommate move in."

"What?" Finn asks confused.

"Its fine," I reply, I didn't want to force anyone to help. "I'll just call my girlfriend… actually I probably should have called her already."

"Girlfriend," Finn muses quietly.

"Do I know her?" Stephanie asks excitedly.

"I doubt it," I reply as I grab out my phone. "Unless you ran into her the whole week she's been here."

"Freshman?" Finn asks sadly.

"As am I," I reply as I dial her number.

"Really?" Finn asks confused. "You seem older."

"Yeah," Stephanie agrees.

"Jess?" Rory answers.

"It's me," I reply. "I found a place to stay… I'm actually here right now."

"Really?" Rory asks excitedly. "Where is it?"

"Where are we?" I ask Finn.

"I don't know," Finn replies and I glare at him. "What? I never needed to know," Finn defends.

"Ummm," I say to Rory totally confused. "Near the science building?"

"It's not Branford," Finn says into the phone. "Does that help?"

"She lives in Branford," I reply getting annoyed.

"Oooh b…" Stephanie says excitedly. "It's Berkley… I think."

"You got that?" I ask Rory.

"Yeah, Berkley," Rory replies. "I know where that is, what number?"

I walked to the door and looked myself, the chance of Finn and Stephanie knowing the number was fairly slim.

"17," I say to Rory.

"I'll be there in a minute," Rory replies. "Who is your roommate anyway?"

"You don't want to know," I reply glaring at Finn. "Just hurry."

"On my way," Rory replies and I hang up the phone.

"What's her name?" Finn asks excitedly.

"Rory," I reply as I put the two boxes we did bring into my new room.

"Rory," Stephanie muses. "I like it."

"Does she have red hair?" Finn asks excitedly.

"No," I reply annoyed, what did hair color have to do with anything.

"Blonde?" Finn asks again.

"No," I reply getting more annoyed.

"Purple?" Finn asks once again.

"What?" I ask him confused. "You pick purple over… I don't know say brown."

"Ahhh brown," Finn says in realization.

"Weren't you going to the pub?" I ask Stephanie and Finn annoyed.

"Not now," Stephanie replies excitedly. "I want to meet your girlfriend... is she from society?"

"Not by choice," I reply saying Finn's words from earlier.

"Yes," Finn says excitedly. "I love this girl already."

"You keep away from her," I reply sternly.

"Don't worry," Stephanie replies. "Finn will keep away… won't you Finn," She threatens him.

"Of course," Finn replies as there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Finn says excitedly as he rushes ahead of me towards the door. "Hello love," Finn says as he opens the door.

"Hello," Rory replies nervously.

"Rory," I say as I push Finn out of the way. "Ignore him," I say motioning towards Finn.

"Okay," Rory says slightly amused as she makes her way into the dorm.

"I'm Steph," Stephanie says excitedly to Rory.

"She's mine Steph," Finn says playfully.

"I don't know these people," I say to Rory as I put my arm around her.

"Maybe if we ignore them they will go away," Rory suggests.

"We can hear you," Stephanie says hurt.

"Steph," Finn says as he puts his arm around her. "They're not from society… well not in the strictest sense."

"So?" Steph asks confused.

"They insult people like us," Finn explains. "It's just what they do."

"Well it's not nice," Stephanie replies.

"Probably not as nice as our customs are to them," Finn tells Stephanie.

"What's wrong with our way of life?" Steph asks Rory and me.

"When was the last time you worked?" I ask her and she looks at me disgusted. "How about the last time you helped around the house?"

"That's what maids are for," Stephanie defends.

"Okay, okay," Finn says coming between Stephanie and me. "That's enough, I'm sure we will all learn… to adapt."

"Come on," I say to Rory as I lead her into my room, closing the door behind me.

"Jess," Stephanie whines through the door. "I didn't get to meet her properly."

"Yeah," Finn replies. "Come out and we can have a little fun."

"Jess?" Rory asks me.

"What?" I ask her confused.

"Why do you always attract the crazy people?" Rory asks me trying not to laugh.

"No idea," I reply as I sit down on the bed and Rory joins me.

"Hey," Finn says as he opens the door a second later. "Do you… want something to drink?"

"You're annoying," I say to Finn.

"You'll learn to love me," Finn replies confidently, but I was highly doubting it.

"Are you going to help me with the rest of my things?" I ask Finn with not much hope.

"I will if you and Rory come to the pub with Steph and I," Finn replies happily. "We'll show you what Yale's all about."

"Fine," I give in. I didn't want to move all of it myself. When Rory and I were in the Hollow we grabbed most of the things that I would need for Yale, so the car was pretty full.

"Jess," Rory says concerned. "We've… Well I've got classes tomorrow I can't spend the night at the pub."

"Yes, you can," Finn says dismissing her comment. "It's called getting to know each other… and getting wasted of course."

"We won't drink," I reassure Rory. "And we will only stay for an hour… or so."

"Okay," Rory relents. "Let's get Jess' stuff and get this over and done with."

"Yes," Finn cheers as we make our way out of my bedroom. "They're in," Finn says excitedly.

"I called Rosemary, Robert, Seth and Juliet," Stephanie explains. "They're all in too."

"I'm out," Rory replies quickly.

"Come on," Stephanie argues. "You want to get to know people don't you?"

"Not really," Rory replies truthfully.

"Rory," I say softly to her. "It's the least we can do for the help they are giving us."

"Let's just get this over and done with," Rory says as she storms out the door.

"Ooohhh," Stephanie says as she follows Rory out. "Feisty, we are going to have so much fun together."

"I like her," Finn says as he grabs my shoulder and I instinctively step away from him. "You don't like to be touched," Finn muses. "Maybe I should've got a dog," I stare at him in disbelief. "Don't worry you can stay," Finn says. "I like Rory she's… different from other girls."

"Just help with my stuff," I say as I glare at Finn and follow him out the door.

"Don't hate the player," I hear him retort softly in front of me. At least he was helping though, that was a start and I still had Rory's dorm to escape to, well with the exception of Paris.

* * *

**A/N- Review **


	5. Berkeley Dorm 17

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **bluedancer, Commander Bubbles, Curley-Q, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, krymsunkiss52, lukkygrl08, mizskitles220, rockerckick08, Rory&Jess Fanatic, seebear, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Do not own**

**Enjoy**

* * *

"I can't believe Finn," Rory says as she lays her head on my chest.

"What?" I ask her confused.

"Our first night alone," Rory explains. "And Finn comes in drunk with some girl... he said that we were going to be alone."

"You didn't seem to care when you were trying to out scream her," I says jokingly to Rory.

"What?" Rory asks angrily. "I did not."

"I was only joking," I reassure her. "I'm sorry."

"I just wanted our first time, after spending the summer apart to be perfect," Rory explains.

"It was perfect," I tell her as I kiss her lovingly. "Anyway isn't Finn down the hall better than Paris in the same room?"

"I guess," Rory replies. "You're probably right."

"I'm always right," I say as I kiss her, but she pulls away as I deepen it.

"I need coffee," Rory states. "Do you have coffee?"

"Sure, out in the kitchen," I answer as I close my eyes.

"Jess?" Rory asks.

"No," I reply sternly.

"I'm not going out there by myself," Rory says nervously. "What if I run into Finn?"

"Just tell him to keep it down next time," I mumble back.

"Jess," Rory says as she hits me.

"Fine," I mumble as I sit up in bed.

"Hurry please," Rory says quickly. "I need coffee, get dressed."

"Shouldn't you…" I say as I turn to face her. "When did you put clothes on?" I ask her confused, she was now wearing one of my shirts and a pair of my boxers.

"Just then," Rory replies.

"What am I supposed to wear now?" I ask her as I pout.

"I don't know," Rory replies impatiently. "Just chuck something on."

"Okay," I say as I get up and throw on the nearest shirt and sweats. "Happy now?" I ask her.

"Sure," Rory replies as she walks around the bed and joins me. She kisses me lovingly and then pulls away. "Now go make me some coffee," She says as she pushes my out the door.

"You know," I say as I walk towards the kitchen. "You are capable of making your own coffee."

"But you make it better," Rory replies as she sits on a stool at the counter.

"I wonder if Finn's date has left yet." I say to Rory as I make the coffee.

"She has," Rory replies and I turn to look at her. "I heard her leave at about seven."

"Good," I say thankfully. "At least I won't have to deal with her."

"What do you mean?" Rory asks confused.

"Yesterday," I answer. "Finn had another girl over and I just happened to get up early, I ran into her."

"Not fun?" Rory asks me.

"Definitely not fun," I reply. "She asked me for my number and I told her I was taken, and then she asked me where I lived. She wasn't a smart one that girl, I'm just glad that this one's left already."

"Awe, poor Jess," Rory says. "I can't believe she asked you where you lived, was she blonde?"

"No," I reply. "Finn like's his redheads."

"Yes I do," Finn says as he walks into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?"

"Coffee," I reply as I give both Rory and Finn a cup.

"Coffee and what?" Finn asks as he takes a swig of coffee. "This is good coffee, but what's for breakfast and is it going to be this good?"

"Oooh, Jess," Rory says pleadingly. "Make us some pancakes, please."

"Yeah, please," Finn agrees as he sits down next to Rory.

"Shouldn't you still be in bed?" I ask Finn as I grab out the ingredients for pancakes.

"Nah," Finn replies. "It's cloudy, which means…"

"That winters coming," I reply sarcastically.

"No," Finn replies. "It means that Mr. Sun isn't up today."

"Of course," Rory replies as she lets out a laugh.

"Morning Rory," Finn says flirtatiously. "How are you love?"

"Fine," Rory replies. "And how are you? Well rested?"

"Not really," Finn replies. "It was a good night's sleep though, was yours a good night's sleep?"

"Finn," I say warningly.

"I'm just asking a question," Finn replies. "And it wasn't a rhetorical question so she can answer it."

"What?" Rory asks confused.

"Seems your boy has a problem with rhetorical questions," Finn explains to Rory. "Don't you mate?"

"And it seems Finn has a problem answering rhetorical questions," I says to Rory. "He doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

"Okay, okay," Rory says soothingly. "Settle down, both of you."

"Where's your frying pan," I ask Finn.

"No idea," Finn replies.

"What did you do for food before me?" I ask Finn as I search the cupboards.

"Take out," Finn replies. "But sometimes Colin would cook for us."

"Ah ha," I say as I pull out the frying pan.

"So what are you plans today?" Finn asks Rory. "And do any of them include me?"

"Well I have class soon," Rory replies. "And then Jess and I are going to spend the rest of the day relaxing, your welcome to join us."

"Nah," Finn replies. "I think I'll head down to the pub later, give you guy's some alone time."

"Alone time?" I muse out loud. "Like the alone time you promised us last night?"

"Oh yeah," Finn replies. "Sorry about that, she didn't exactly live on campus so we had to come here."

"Where did she live?" Rory asks curiously.

"Maryland," Finn replies.

"Maryland?" Rory questions confused. "What was she doing up here?"

"No idea," Finn answers. "We didn't go into details."

"Of course not," I reply. "Here," I say as I hand Finn and Rory their pancakes. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," Rory says as she takes a bite.

"Yeah," Finn agrees as he does the same. "Mmmm, these are really good."

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "They're always good."

"How would you like to become the cook of the house… well dorm?" Finn asks me.

"No thanks," I reply cooking up the rest of the batter for myself.

"Come on," Finn whines. "I'll pay you."

"Oh no," Rory says.

"What?" Finn asks confused.

"You'll see," Rory replies.

"I'm not your servant," I yell angrily at Finn. "Which means that you can't treat me this way… no actually you shouldn't treat anyone this way. I don't care if you pay them and if they are there willingly, you need to learn that not everyone is on this world to please you… to do whatever you wish. Do you understand me?"

"I… guess," Finn replies. "But…"

"Just drop it," Rory says to Finn. "You're not going to win this one."

"Fine," Finn replies. "You're right Jess."

I sigh, figures he would learn nothing, but maybe it will get him thinking.

* * *

"Jess?" Finn asks cautiously as he knocks on my door. After breakfast Rory had left for class and I headed straight to my room, to avoid Finn.

"What?" I grudgingly reply as I type on my laptop. I had to type up everything I had written in California, as I forgot to take my laptop with me.

"Come out and play?" Finn asks me.

"I'm busy," I retort.

"But you're always in your room," Finn whines. "It's no fun."

"Go to the pub then," I reply annoyed.

"Steph's meeting me there later," Finn explains. "I can't go twice… it would look suspicious."

"How?" I ask him confused. "Everyone at Yale already thinks that you're an alcoholic."

"Exactly," Finn replies. "No need to prove them right."

"Come out and play some Playstation," Finn suggests.

"No," I reply.

"Fine," Finn relents. "But at least come out of your room, you need a break from whatever you are doing and Rory should be back from class soon." I don't reply. "I'll see you in a few minutes," Finn says confidently.

I let out a sigh and finished typing the page I was on. I'd have to join him, if I didn't he'd just come into my room and annoy me anyway. I was actually surprised that he hadn't burst in already, maybe I had knocked some sense into him this morning. I close down the laptop and make my way into the living room.

"What are you doing in there anyway?" Finn asks me focusing on the game he is playing.

"Nothing," I reply evasively as I sit down next to him on the couch. I couldn't exactly tell him that I was writing a book, it was a surprise for Rory and Finn would most likely tell her.

"Sure you don't want to play?" Finn asks me.

"What are you playing?" I ask Finn as I look up at the TV.

"Grand Theft Auto," Finn replies excitedly.

"Of course you are," I mumble incoherently.

"What was that?" Finn asks me as he gets killed by the police officer.

"Give me the controller," I say to him and he willingly hands it over.

I start off by shooting a cop and then stealing a car.

"What are you doing?" Finn asks me.

"Evading the police," I reply as if it is the obvious thing.

"You're going up the wrong side of the freeway," Finn says as I dodge the cars.

"I know," I reply. "It's more fun this way."

"You're good at this game," Finn says amazed. "Have you played it before?"

"No," I answer. "I think I'm pulling this from life experience."

"Life experience?" Finn questions cautiously.

"Yeah," I agree. "I used to live in New York."

"Which means?" Finn questions confused.

"I may have stolen a car or two in my day," I tell him.

"Really?" Finn questions excitedly. "Were you ever caught?"

"Nah," I reply. "I was close once, but this was a long time ago, way before I met Rory."

"So she steered you away from your life of crime?" Finn asks me curiously.

"I guess," I answer. "I was sent to Stars Hollow because I was getting in trouble and since I met Rory in Hartford that day I haven't done anything major."

"Stars Hollow?" Finn questions. "Is that the same town Rory was talking about this morning?"

"Yeah," I reply. "Why?"

"Watch out for the helicopter," Finn says to me.

"I see it," I reply getting annoyed. "Stars Hollow," I remind him.

"Oh yeah," Finn says remembering. "So what trouble did you get into there?"

"I set up a fake murder scene," I tell Finn thinking back. "The town didn't know what to do with themselves. Rory and I also glued some of the items in the market together. Me and… a friend paintballed Kirk."

Amelia and I still hadn't talked since our fallout, I still didn't know if I could forgive her for not telling me that Liz was seeing someone.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Finn replies disinterested.

"It was for Stars Hollow," I explain. "There are rumors I killed a guy," I tell Finn amused.

"And did you?" Finn asks excitedly.

"Ask Rory's dad and the answer will be yes," I tell Finn.

"Really?" Finn asks intrigued. "You'll have to remind me if we are ever in the same room as him."

"I will," I promise.

"Anything else?" Finn asks excitedly.

"Rory's mother stabbed me in the neck," I tell Finn showing him the scar.

"She stabbed you?" Finn asks as he admires my scar.

"Yeah," I reply. "Accidentally of course, it hit a main artery though."

"Isn't that bad?" Finn asks me.

"I guess," I reply. "Apparently I was touch and go for a while there, I don't remember much. It's not like it was the first time since moving to Stars Hollow that I was in the hospital."

"Really?" Finn asks me intrigued. "Why were you in hospital the other time?"

"Rory's boyfriend decided to get me while I was sleeping," I explain to Finn. "Apparently he thought I was spending too much time with her."

"And you ended up in hospital?" Finn questions. "What happened to him?"

"He's the guy I'm rumored to kill," I tell Finn.

"Makes sense," Finn replies. "So did you really kill him?"

"No," I answer truthfully. "My uncle did run him out of town though. I've always thought of paying him a little visit one day, but I'm not sure if it's worth it, revenge would be sweet, but I wouldn't get anything out of it."

"Let me go get this guy for you," Finn says excitedly. "Someone needs to teach him a lesson, he sounds like a jerk."

"Just leave it," I tell Finn. "And don't mention it to Rory, she doesn't like talking about it, okay?"

"Okay," Finn replies. "Amazing."

"What?" I ask him confused.

"The police haven't caught you yet and you've been talking all this time," Finn says in awe.

"It must be a talent," I reply. "Here," I say as I hand him the controller.

"No, I suck," Finn protests as he takes the controller off of me and plays anyway. "I've had this game for forever and I can't even unlock the next section. Maybe we should steal a car together sometime... for real."

"Sure," I say to him. "Good luck with that."

"You won't come with me?" Finn asks disappointed. "But I don't know how to steal a car."

"Busted," I say to Finn as he is caught by the cops. "And I'm not stealing a car with you."

"But I need the experience," Finn whines. "As you can see."

"Maybe you should improve your hand-eye coordination," I say to Finn. "See if that helps, before you go out and steal a car."

"Who's stealing a car?" Rory asks as she makes her way inside and sits next to me.

"We are," Finn says happily.

"No," I correct him. "Finn is. So how was class?" I ask Rory.

"Class was good," Rory replies. "But it was what happened after class that was not so good."

"Was it something bad?" I ask her concerned.

"Depends on what you think is bad," Rory answers.

"Stealing a car is bad," Finn replies.

"My gosh," I say sarcastically. "I think he has it."

"Well in relation to car stealing," Rory explains. "It wasn't bad at all."

"What happened then?" I ask Rory as I put my arm around her and pull her close.

"It's nothing," Rory replies.

"It's not nothing," I reassure her. "Just let me know what happened."

"After class…" Rory starts. "This guy… from my class, well… he kind of… asked me out."

"What?" I ask Rory amused. "What did you say?"

"I told him no," Rory replies quickly. "And I told him that I have a boyfriend."

"Awe," Finn says disappointed. "You should have said yes."

"Be quiet," I say to Finn. "Just play the game."

"But I keep on dying," Finn whines but turns his attention back to the game.

"And what did he say?" I ask Rory still amused that she was scared to tell me, this wasn't Stars Hollow I knew that guys would be asking her out.

"He said he was sorry," Rory explains. "And then he said that he hadn't seen me around with anyone."

"Jeez," I reply. "It's only been a week and a half, and guys are already following you around."

"You expected this?" Rory asks me.

"You didn't?" I ask her confused. "You must have known that guys were going to be asking you out."

"I guess," Rory replies. "I didn't really think about it, but I'm with you and only you."

"I know," I say as I kiss her. "But that is not going to stop guys from asking you out."

"But it should," Rory replies.

"Will you two shut up?" Finn asks us. "You sound like an old married couple, I'm losing my concentration."

Rory and I burst out laughing.

"What?" Finn asks confused. "That was an insult, you know?"

"Not to us," I tell Finn.

"It's not the first time we've been called that," Rory explains.

"You two are just weird," Finn says annoyed.

"You're just jealous," I say jokingly to Finn.

"Am not," Finn replies. "Your go," He says as he hands me the controller. "Unlock some for me while you're at it."

"I'm not unlocking anything for you," I say as I once again shoot a cop.

"What are you playing?" Rory asks me confused. "Did you just shoot a cop… and steal that car?"

"Yeah," I reply. "It's Finn's game, but apparently he sucks at it."

"Oooh," Rory says excitedly. "Run over that guy."

"You want to play?" I ask her as I hand her the controller.

"Really?" Rory asks excitedly. "What button's for kill?"

"That would be shoot, not kill" I correct her. "And it's that one," I answer as I show her button.

"This is fun," Rory says killing about ten civilians.

"Jeez," I say to Rory. "Gun happy much?"

"It's a great way to relieve stress," Rory replies. "Oh no, what do I do now?" Rory asks frantically. "The cops are after me."

"Get in a car, press the top botton," I tell her and she does. "See now," I explain to her. "Killing people is wrong, you kill people and then the cops come after you."

"So real life," Rory replies amazed.

"And what have you learnt?" I ask her.

"That if I shoot people and steal a car," Rory starts.

"Yes," I encourage her.

"Then I better choose a fast car because I'm nervous as hell," Rory says still trying to evade the cops.

"That's what you've learnt?" I ask her in disbelief.

"Pretty much," Rory replies.

"No more for you," I say as I take the controller off of her.

"What?" Rory asks confused. "Why?"

"You are one step away from committing a felony," I tell her as I put the game on pause. "You and Finn need to lay off this game for a while."

"No fair," Rory replies as she pouts.

"Now," I tell Rory seriously. "If Finn asks you to steal a car you say no. Now what do you say?" I ask her trying to enforce the message.

"I say…" Rory says contemplating it. "I ask how fast it goes," Rory says as she starts laughing.

"Funny," I say to her. "Real funny, you and Finn should join a group."

"I call president," Finn says quickly.

"No fair," Rory replies.

"You can be my secretary," Finn says flirtatiously to Rory. "You know what I mean?"

"How about you go to the pub," I tell Finn angrily.

"Okay, okay," Finn replies. "I'm off."

Finn gets up and leaves straight away, he didn't even protest.

"We're alone," I say to Rory as I kiss her lovingly. "Want to come to my room?"

"No," Rory replies as she grabs the controller. "I want to play the game, it's so addicting."

"Fine," I sigh as I get up. "You know where I'll be, but I'm not waiting forever."

"I'll be there in a minute," Rory replies already immersed in the game. "I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that," I say as I go into my room.

I start up my laptop ready to type some more, knowing Rory it will be a while before what I was asking her clicks, I would just have to wait.

* * *

**A/N- Sorry for the lack of crucial events in these past chapters, I'm trying to establish the Jess/Finn/Rory relationship and then hopefully we can move back onto the actual storyline of the show, like The Ripple Effect. But then again there is the whole Rory/Marty/Jess relationship too, we'll see, it shouldn't be much longer, I just need to get all the relationships down **

**Review **


	6. Brandford Suite 5

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **bluedancer, Curley-Q, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, krymsunkiss52, lukkygrl08, mizskitles220, rockerckick08, Rory&Jess Fanatic, seebear, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not Mine**

**Enjoy**

* * *

"And we're going to your dorm why?" I ask Rory confused as we walk across campus.

"Because Finn is annoying and I need to study," Rory explains.

"I guess telling you that the five courses you are taking is too much again still won't make you drop one?" I ask Rory for at least the fifth time.

"I'm not dropping a course," Rory says stubbornly. "I can deal with it. I just need to find a place to study."

"Okay," I say dropping the matter. I knew Rory could look after herself. "You expect to find peace at your dorm?" I ask Rory confused, it was never peaceful there.

"Hopefully," Rory replies. "Otherwise I don't know where I will go… well apart from heading back to the Hollow."

"Well moment of truth," I say to Rory as I open up the door to her dorm.

"A trampoline," Rory sighs as she sees Janet jumping up and down. "That's new."

"Helps with my shin splints," Janet explains.

"Huh," Rory replies annoyed. "Wow. Squeaky."

"So much for that peace you were wanting," I whisper to Rory. "It's like a madhouse in here."

"Phone," Janet says to Rory.

"Thanks," Rory retorts as she walks into her bedroom and I follow behind her.

"Nice roommate," I tell Rory once we walk into her room. "I'm actually thinking that Finn is the better option."

"Yeah, at least you have your own room," Rory agrees. "Paris, can you get the phone?" Rory asks Paris annoyed. "Paris?"

"Don't answer it," Paris says quickly.

"Hey Paris," I greet her, but she ignores me.

"Why not?" Rory asks Paris confused.

"It's Jamie and we're fighting," Paris replies.

"Shocker," I reply jokingly.

"Shut up Jess," Paris retorts angrily.

"Well, does he know you're fighting?" Rory asks Paris. "'Cause he's not hanging up."

"Oh, he knows," Paris replies. "Trust me, he knows."

"Okay," Rory says annoyed. "You're seriously not going to answer that?"

"Nope," Paris replies stubbornly.

"Paris, come on," Rory says frustrated.

"Fine," Paris replies as she picks up the phone and then immediately hangs it back up. "There."

"Why are you and Jamie fighting?" Rory asks confused.

"Because he's wrong," Paris answers.

"Oh, okay," Rory replies as the phone starts ringing again.

"He won't listen to me," Paris explains as she picks up the phone. "You won't listen to me!" Paris tells Jamie as she hangs up the phone. "He's in love with the sound of his own voice. You'd think he was already president and I don't want to be Hillary. I don't want to wait for a hundred years while he does his thing so by the time I get my chance, I'm too old to enjoy it."

"Well, I don't think Hillary's too old to enjoy it," Rory argues.

"Just break up with him, then," I tell Paris.

"What?" Paris asks completely taken off guard.

"Well if you think as though he is holding you back," I explain. "Then maybe he's not worth it, especially if you don't see yourself with him in the long term."

"What do you know?" Paris snaps at me.

"It's just a thought," I defend. "I don't really care what you do."

"Just have him call you back on your cell phone," Rory suggests. "Then you can talk to him outside. It's nice outside. There are birds and trees."

"My cell phone is dead," Paris replies.

"Here," I say to Paris as I hand her my cell. "Go crazy."

"I'll be back," Paris promises.

"Take your time," Rory replies.

Paris leaves and Rory sits down at her desk ready to study. I grab a book off of Rory's shelf and lie down on her bed. I knew that she didn't want to be disturbed right now.

"No," Rory lets out a moan. "Damn TV, damn roommates."

"I'll take care of it," I promise Rory as I get off her bed. "You just study."

"What are you going to do?" Rory asks confused.

"Maybe I'll take them out for ice-cream," I answer sarcastically.

"Okay," Rory replies. "Just keep the noise down and thank you."

"It's no problem," I say as I kiss Rory and leave her to her studies.

"Hey," I say to Tanna as I join her on the couch. "You mind keeping it down, Rory's trying to study."

"Okay," Tanna complies as she turns down the TV.

"I can still hear the TV through the wall," Rory yells at us.

"How about you and I take a walk around the campus?" I ask Tanna. "I really don't know my way around yet."

"Okay," Tanna answers excitedly as she jumps off the couch.

"Great," I reply. "Is… your other roommate still here?"

"Yeah," Tanna replies.

I knock on her door and she answers.

"Hey," I say to her. "Tanna and I are just going to take a walk and maybe get something to eat, you want to come."

"Okay," Janet replies. "Count me in. Just give me a few minutes."

"We'll be waiting," I reply as I head back to Rory's room. "Sorry," I apologize to her. "I'm taking them for a walk and if I run into Paris along the way I'll make her come too."

"Thanks," Rory replies. "Just make sure that it is a long walk."

"Will do," I say as I kiss Rory one more time. "We'll be back later."

"Have fun," Rory replies as she turns her attention back to her work.

"Study hard," I say softly to her as I leave the room. "Ready to go?" I ask the two girls.

"Sure," They reply and we set off.

"So you're Rory's boyfriend?" Janet asks excitedly.

"Yeah," I reply. "I'm Jess," I say to both of them.

"Janet," Janet says as she holds out her hand and I take it. "And this is Tanna."

"Tanna," I repeat. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Tanna replies nervously.

"So we're walking around campus?" Janet questions.

"Yeah," I agree. "Figured I needed a tour seeing as I missed orientation week."

"Okay," Janet replies. "So where do you live?"

"Over in Berkeley," I answer.

"But that dorm's not for first years," Tanna says confused.

"Yeah," I agree. "They gave up my spot so I had to find another place to stay."

"So is that where Rory is half the time?" Janet questions.

"Yeah," I answer. "It's only me and this other guy, so I think she finds it more peaceful than living with Paris."

"Of course," Tanna replies. "Well it's not that I don't like Paris, it's just that she's a little…"

"Crazy, obsessed, deranged," Janet offers.

"I was going to go with unusual," Tanna replies.

"Well Paris can be a bit unusual," I explain. "But when you get to know her she's actually not that bad, she just has a weird defense mechanism."

"Crazy," Janet repeats. "She has a craft table."

"Yeah, well that is a little weird even for Paris," I agree. "But at least she's trying to be better."

"Can we change the subject?" Tanna asks nervously.

"Sure," I say to Tanna. "You go ahead and pick a topic."

"So how long have you been with Rory?" Tanna asks excitedly.

"Just under two years," I answer.

"Wow," Janet says. "No wonder the two of you are practically joined at the hip. Do you love her?"

"You can't ask that," Tanna tells Janet.

"It's okay," I reply. "And yes I do love her."

"Oooh," Tanna says excitedly. "How do you know when you're in love?"

"Well this might sound a little cliché," I explain. "But you just know. I knew from the first moment I met her."

"Really?" Janet questions. "And how did you meet?"

"In a record store in Hartford," I explain. "She was on her lunch break from school and I was on my way to live with my uncle, anyway we met at the record store and then she left."

"But you meet up again obviously?" Tanna asks.

"Yeah," I agree. "I waited for her out the front of her school, but she never showed, so I caught the bus to my uncle's place. Turns out that it was a small town, a really small town, and Rory just happened to live there with her mother."

"And her mother's husband?" Tanna questions. "I met him my first day."

"Now this is where it gets complicated," I tell them. "Rory's mother married my uncle about six months ago."

"Wait," Janet says confused. "So you guys are related."

"Technically they would be step cousins," Tanna says doing the math in her head. "Is that right?"

"Yeah," I agree. "We are not blood related and in our defense we were together long before Luke and Lorelai got together."

"Wait, wouldn't that mean that you guy's live together?" Janet asks. "Because of course your uncle would have moved in with his wife, who is Rory's mother."

"Yes," I answer. "We live together back home."

"And that's not weird?" Tanna asks.

"No," I respond. "It's great. Rory was never home alone on a Saturday night."

"I don't get it," Tanna responds.

"Sorry," I apologize. "Inside joke."

"Looks like Paris is heading back to the dorm," Janet says as she motions to her.

"Excuse me for one quick minute," I say to them as I rush over to Paris. "Hey," I say to Paris. "So how'd it go?"

"I broke up with him," Paris says as she hands me back my phone. "Thanks for the advice, it really helped. Now I can stop wasting my time and get on with my life."

"Now that's the spirit," I say sarcastically. "How would you like to join Janet, Tanna and me on a little walk?"

"No thanks," Paris replies.

"Come on," I plead her. "They are driving me insane. This is supposed to be a tour of Yale, but all they do is keep asking me questions. I figure with you there you could scare them into keeping quiet for a while, plus you know how pissed Rory's going to be at you if you go to your dorm right now. So what do you say, I'll owe you one."

"Fine," Paris gives in. "But I cannot be blamed for anything that happens."

"Sure," I reply as we make our way back over to the girls. "Paris has decided to join us," I say to them both.

"Great," Janet says sarcastically.

"Oh can it Barbie," Paris retorts.

"Okay," I say stepping in between them. "Calm down. Paris remember the new turning point in your life, focus on that… make a game plan in your head."

"Fine," Paris relents. "But if this stupid walk/tour thing goes for more than an hour, you won't be able to stop me from going back to the dorm."

"How about we head to the pub," I suggest, keeping track of two, well now three girls was starting to take its toll.

"Okay," Janet agrees. "I'm in."

"Me too," Paris agrees. "Anything to see Barbie puke."

"I'm only sixteen," Tanna replies.

"That's alright," I say to her. "They sell non alcoholic drinks as well. Plus my roommate is most likely there so I'll introduce you all."

"Is he hot?" Janet asks excitedly.

"Sure," I reply nervously. "Well I guess, but I'd steer clear of him if I was you."

"Why?" Janet asks confused.

"Well," I explain. "If all you want is a one night stand and to never hear from the guy again then go ahead, if not then you'd better not get involved."

"Okay," Janet replies. "I guess I'll just have to see how cute he is first."

We walked in nearly complete silence to the bar, well I think we did, I was tuning them out anyway.

"Jess," A drunken Finn calls to me as we make our way inside.

"This way," I say to the girls as I lead them over to Finn's table.

"Ah," Finn says impressed. "You've brought some recruits Jessie boy."

"Sure," I reply as I sit down across from Finn. "This is Finn," I say to the girls as they take a seat. "And this is Paris, Tanna and Janet."

"Finn," Janet says flirtatiously. "So, you are hot."

"Sorry love," Finn replies. "I'm on redheads only this month."

"So if I dye my hair red and come back tomorrow?" Janet questions.

"Natural red heads," Finn clarifies. "Though I could make an exception for you," Finn says to Paris.

"No thanks," Paris replies disgusted.

"Come on," Finn whines. "I bet you're great in bed, a screamer too?"

"Leave her alone," I defend angrily. "Now's not really the time." Paris didn't need this, she had just broken up with her first serious boyfriend and even that must have some affect on her, even if she wasn't letting it show.

"Do you often drink alone?" Tanna questions Finn. "Because statistics show that one in every four sole drinkers end up in the bed with another lone drinker."

"Yeah, well," Finn argues. "For me it's more like three in four, as sometimes the girl has friends."

"Oh," Tanna says caught off guard.

"Plus," Finn adds. "I didn't come alone, Steph came with me."

"Another invisible friend?" Paris questions.

"Where'd you find this lot?" Finn asks me. "I thought they closed down the mental asylum."

"No," I clarify. "They just let you go remember."

"You didn't answer my question," Finn says. "And no it wasn't rhetorical."

"They're Rory's roommates," I answer.

"And where is the lovely Rory?" Finn asks disappointed.

"Studying," I reply as I get up. "I'll go get us some drinks, what do you want Tanna?"

"Just water," Tanna replies.

"You know you can splurge a little," I tell her. "It's going on Finn's tab."

"Water's fine," Tanna replies. "Did you know that water…"

"Truly fascinating I'm sure," I tell Tanna. "But excuse me." Jeez that girl was like a walking textbook.

I go up to the bar and order a round of drinks, plus water. I glance around the bar and notice Rory's friend Marty talking on the phone. He had a certain glint in his eye, which to me could only mean one thing, he was most likely talking to Rory. I pulled out my phone and dialed Rory's number, busy of course, but she had call waiting which would work to my advantage.

"Hello," Rory answers.

"Hey it's me," I reply. "I see Marty's distracting you from your studies."

"How did you know?" Rory asks confused.

"We're at the pub," I explain. "I noticed Marty and just put the pieces together."

"Okay," Rory replies. "Thanks."

"Now just tell him that there is some emergency and that you have to go," I tell her.

"What if he calls back?" Rory asks me.

"How about I invite him to join us," I suggest to Rory. "And then I can keep a close eye on him."

"Thank you so much," Rory replies. "I definitely owe you big for today. Hanging out with my friends and roommates just so that I can get some studying done."

"It's fine," I reply. "Your friends aren't that bad, I guess, but you can definitely make it up to me later. Marty's looking bored, you better let him off the hook," I tell Rory grudgingly. "So I can invite him to join us."

"Marty's not that bad," Rory defends.

"Okay," I reply. "I'll take your word for it just put him out of his misery already."

"Fine, I'll see you later," Rory says as she disconnects the call.

I grab the drinks and take them over to the table, my eyes never leaving Marty. He looked disappointed and then slightly concerned. He shoved his phone in his pocket and got up to leave.

"Excuse me for a sec," I tell the table as I get up. "Hey Marty."

"Jess right?" Marty asks as he turns to face me.

"Yeah," I reply. "I was wondering if you wanted to join us for a drink."

"I really can't," Marty says. "I've got to…"

"Come on," I say to him. "One drink and then you can leave if you want. It will give us a chance to get to know each other."

"Fine," Marty relents. "One drink."

We walk back over to the table.

"Finn, Steph, this is Marty," I say to them. "Marty, Finn and Steph. I think you know the rest of Rory's roommates."

"Sure," Marty replies as he sits down. "Nice to see everyone."

"You look somewhat familiar," Finn says to Marty trying to figure it out.

"Yeah," Marty agrees. "I bartended for some of your friend Logan's parties."

"Of course," Finn replies. "We were great friends right?"

"Sure," Marty answers. "Out of everyone there you definitely were the one who spent the most time at the bar."

"I'm Steph," Steph says to Marty. "And you're cute."

"Th-thanks," Marty stutters.

"Over Colin already?" Finn asks Steph.

"We never were together," Steph retorts.

I let out a sigh, this was going to be a long hour.

* * *

"That was great, thanks Jess," Janet says as we walk towards their dorm.

"Yeah," Marty agrees. "I had fun."

"Me too," Tanna adds. "Who knew pubs had chocolate milk."

"This is a suckfest," Paris replies annoyed as she speeds up and heads for the dorm.

"You're welcome Paris," I say jokingly after her.

"She's weird right?" Marty asks. "I'm not the only one that thinks that."

"Trust me," Janet says as we walk into the building. "You're not the only one."

"Irish studies suck, German studies suck," Glenn says as he comes towards us. "Everything here sucks, sucks, sucks, sucks, sucks!"

"Wow, Glenn," I say to him as the others disappear into Rory's dorm. "Don't have a breakdown now."

"Hey, Jess," Glenn says as he stops and clams down slightly. "What have you been up to?"

"Not studying international studies," I tell him. "So pretty good."

"Jess you're back," Rory says as she hugs me and Glenn looks at me strangely.

"She's clingy," I say to him jokingly.

"Hey," Rory says as she hits me on the chest and pulls out of the hug.

"And abusive," I tell Glenn.

"Oh hey Glenn," Rory says as she notices him. "How do you know Jess?"

"We were nearly roommates," Glenn says sadly.

"Yeah," I add. "Too bad they gave up my spot."

"Yeah," Glenn agrees. "Well, I'll catch you guys around."

"Yeah, see you," Rory replies. "So you know Glenn?" Rory asks me.

"Yeah, dodged a bullet there," I say as I put my arm around Rory and lead her into her dorm.

"Glenn's not that bad," Rory defends as we walk into her room and sit on her bed.

"So did you get your studying done?" I ask Rory.

"Yeah," Rory answers. "All done."

"That's good," I reply as I give her a quick kiss.

"And did you have a good time with my friends?" Rory asks me.

"No," I reply. "Not really."

"Well thanks anyway, you know you didn't have to do it," Rory says as she kisses me and I immediately deepen it.

"Incoming," Paris says as she comes into the room and Rory immediately pulls back from the kiss.

"Heard of knocking?" I ask Paris annoyed.

"I said incoming," She defends. "Anyway this is my room and I think I'm a little tipsy."

"Where's Finn?" Rory asks me.

"We left him at the pub," I tell her. "Which means that he should be there for a while at least."

"Jeez," Paris says annoyed. "Just take it across campus already."

"Well you heard her," I say to Rory as I get off the bed and pull her with me.

"Feel free to spend the night," Paris yells after us.

* * *

**A/N- Review **


	7. Miss Patty's Dance Studio

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **biancaruth, bluedancer, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, KinneticsHollow, kylielink, mizskitles220, RoNaNdEdWaRdAnDjEsSLOVER, seebear, SoManyObsessions, tardislove, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Gilmore Girls belongs to… well used to belong to ASP and the CW, I'd say its fair game now, but if I get sued then I guess I was wrong, lol. Some lines used from Festival of Living Art episode in season four. **

**Enjoy**

* * *

"Why did Taylor call an emergency town meeting?" I ask Rory confused.

"No idea," Rory replies.

"Should we be nervous about this?" Babette asks no one in particular.

"I don't know," Andrew answers. "Did Taylor tell anyone why he called an emergency meeting?"

"He said nothing to me or my girlfriend," Kirk adds. Yes Kirk got a girlfriend, Lulu, must've happened sometime when I was away. I was still trying to adjust to the idea, but then again so was the whole town.

"I can't remember the last town emergency meeting he called," Miss Patty says confused.

"Me and my girlfriend can't either," Kirk says. Now that's going to get annoying.

"Home birth?" Rory asks Lorelai confused.

"I was horrified and I hid it horribly," Lorelai says in shame. "I wanted to be supportive but throw up at the same time."

"A plastic sheet?" Rory questions disgusted. Okay I had no idea what they were talking about, but it definitely didn't sound like something I wanted to weigh in on.

"Any idea what this is about?" I ask Luke referring to the town meeting.

"It's Taylor," Luke replies. Looks like Luke wasn't in conversation mode tonight.

"Hey, Lane, there's a seat behind my girlfriend," Kirk tells Lane proudly.

"That's okay, Kirk," Lane says as she sits next to me. "Hi," She says to us all.

"Thank god," I tell her relieved. "Someone sane."

"Glad I could help," Lane replies.

"Hi," Lorelai greets Lane.

"Hey," Rory says to Lane, but then her tone changes. "That woman's staring at me."

"Oh, Mrs. Van-uppity?" Lorelai jokes. "Well, maybe you're just her type."

"People, thank you for assembling on such short notice," Taylor announces.

"Finally," I say loud enough for him to hear.

"What's up, Taylor?" Babette asks tiredly.

"My girlfriend was wondering that, too," Kirk adds, and I'm surprised Lulu hasn't left him yet.

"As you know, every year, one lucky town in Connecticut gets to host "The Festival of Living Pictures," a show which presents onstage recreations of famous works of art - statues, paintings, et cetera, with real people posing as the figures in the art," Taylor explains. "We hosted it seven years ago, successfully, I might add."

"Yeah, it was a blast," Babette says her mood instantly brightening up.

"Definitely," Lorelai agrees.

"What is The Festival of Living Pictures?" I ask Rory confused and she ssshhh's me.

"The town of Woodbury was supposed to host it this year, but because of recent flooding, they canceled at the last minute, and I offered Stars Hollow to be the host," Taylor explains. "How does that sound?"

"Cool," Rory says excitedly.

"Yeah, sign us up," Babette agrees.

"Yeah, Taylor, you finally did something right," Miss Patty says impressed.

"What's going on?" I ask Luke this time.

"Just another stupid festival," Luke answers, well that was helpful.

I decided to give up. Everyone was too excited to explain what the hell was going on. I went to pull a book out of my back pocket, but found that there wasn't one there. I grabbed Rory's bag and grabbed her book out. I sigh as I read the title. It was The Fountainhead, better than nothing I decided as I opened to the first page.

I tried to get into the book, but gave up not much longer.

"Hey," Lorelai says to Rory. "It's your future wife."

"Shut up," Rory retorts.

"Would you like to say a few words, Mrs. Otis?" Taylor asks the woman and she stands up.

"Your enthusiasm. . .shocks me," Is all the lady says before she sits back down.

"Is that good?" Lorelai asks confused.

"Hard to tell," Rory replies.

"Scary broad," Babette says to us as she gets up.

"Wait," Lorelai says as we also get up.

"Why?" Rory asks confused.

"I want to see if she asks you out," Lorelai says trying to hold back her laughter.

"Ugh," Rory sighs as she walks away from Lorelai and makes her way to the diner.

I follow behind and once again find myself being left out of the conversation.

"Excuse me," Taylor says to me.

"What," I ask him slightly irritated as I turn around.

"I was wondering if you would consider being Michelangelo's David," Taylor asks me.

"What?" I ask confused, I still had no idea what was going on.

"For the festival," Taylor clarifies. "I think that you would be the perfect David."

"Ah," I reply caught off guard. Michelangelo's David, now don't get me wrong I guess that's a high compliment in some aspects at least, but what exactly was he asking me to do. "I'm sorry, I can't," I tell Taylor, better to refuse than get dragged into something that I can't get out of.

"Really?" Taylor asks annoyed. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to," I reply.

"Okay then," Taylor gives in. "I guess we'll have to go with our second choice."

"Good thinking," I tell him as I turn to leave.

"Do you know where Rory is?" Taylor asks me.

"Yeah," I reply behind me, amused that Rory now took over my spot in the festival. "She's in the diner."

I make my way up to the diner, a smile still plastered on my face.

"What did Taylor want?" Lorelai asks me as I sit down at their table.

"Nothing much," I reply. "Taylor was just asking where Rory was."

"Me?" Rory asks confused. "Why?"

"No idea," I reply as I pull The Fountain head out of my back pocket.

"I wonder if I want to be something other than the Renoir girl," Lorelai tells Rory and I tuned them out.

I tried to read The Fountainhead again, but I knew it wouldn't work, so I got out my pen. I began randomly putting thoughts about the book in her margins, note free margins I might add. She was going to kill me when she found out. They weren't philosophical thoughts, just _Rand sucks, Hemmingway rules… Am I asleep yet_, mainly thoughts like that. I must admit though writing in the margins did make the book seem oddly enjoyable now, plus the thought of Rory finding out that I defaced one of he favorite books… this was actually turning out to be a worthwhile trip home.

"Maybe I'll just be a backstage person this year," Rory tells Lorelai and I let out a small laugh, which thankfully goes unnoticed by Rory. "There's less pressure. You don't have to get made up, and…" Rory stops when she sees Taylor and the old lady from the meeting staring at her through the diner window. "What are they doing?" Rory asks confused.

"Well, I bet she's coming to…" Lorelai starts but is interrupted by Rory.

"Hey," Rory retorts. "No more inappropriate lesbian references, please."

"All right," Lorelai says. "Oh, you know what? I bet you're in line for the new painting they're cooking up."

"I feel like a used car," Rory says in defeat.

"Turn to the side," Taylor yells through the window and it was then that I was glad that I had refused.

_When you think of me do you think of Michelangelo's David? _Just another random thought for Rory and Rand to decipher. I flip back a few pages, _How much do you love me? _ I then skipped a towards the back of the book, _If I hadn't refused, you never would've had the chance. _When Rory got this book back she is going to be so confused, I let out a small laugh.

"I'm a Yale student, for God's sake," Rory argues.

"Thank you," Taylor replies.

"Crazy, doofus town," Rory adds.

_Crazy, doofus town, _I write that somewhere near the middle of the book. Maybe it will trigger Rory's memory when she tries to figure out what I wrote.

* * *

Lorelai, Rory and I were at the Yale laundry room. I had no laundry. I only tagged along because Finn decided to break his drinking record for some reason. According to him it was going to take him a week at least to match his previous record. Which meant that I jumped at any chance to get out of the dorm, even if it meant doing laundry with Rory and Lorelai.

"There's a lot of tension in the air here," Lorelai says as a guy comes in grabs his laundry and quickly leaves.

"Well, its midterms," Rory explains.

"Well you and Jess seem calm," Lorelai replies.

"Well, on the outside," Rory explains. "And Jess tests well, apparently," Rory says unconvinced.

"Need I remind you that I bet you on your SAT's?" I ask Rory.

"No," She replies. "But that never stops you."

"What's he doing here anyway?" Lorelai asks Rory.

"Don't ask," Rory answers. "So, who'd they pick for the Renoir girl?"

"Carol Dandridge," Lorelai replies in distaste.

"Carol Dandridge?" Rory questions.

"Carol Dandruff from now on!" Lorelai says bitterly.

"Oh, wow," Rory says surprised. "You're really bummed about this, aren't you?"

"On the outside, I am a mature adult who's able to put setbacks like this in their proper place," Lorelai explains. "And on the inside, I just wanna wear that pretty dress again!"

"You will," Rory replies knowingly.

"I don't know," I tease Lorelai. "Apparently seven years ago you flinched."

"I did not," Lorelai defends.

"Then remind me why Taylor didn't choose you again?" I ask Lorelai, but she doesn't answer. "That's right it was because you flinched."

"He said I couldn't because I was six months pregnant," Lorelai clarifies.

"And because you flinched," I add.

"Settle down," Rory tells Lorelai and I. "You have me. I'll take care of it."

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai asks confused.

"You are going to be the Renoir girl, end of story," Rory replies.

"How?" Lorelai asks confused.

"Well, if they want an Anthea for 'Portrait of a Young Girl Named Anthea', then they're going to have to have you for the Renoir girl," Rory explains.

"Rory, you couldn't do that," Lorelai says in mock seriousness. "Come on. It would be embarrassing, it would be manipulative, and can you do it tonight?"

"I think I'll wait until the Anthea costume is perfectly fitted to my specifications," Rory explains. "Then we won't have no surprises."

"I am in awe," Lorelai says amazed. "Are you in awe Jess?"

"Constantly," I answer truthfully. "She'll never cease to amaze me."

"Pass me the Dream Fresh?" Rory tells Lorelai as she blushes at my comment.

"I wouldn't dare not to," Lorelai says as she hands over the laundry detergent.

* * *

I was backstage at the festival. Apparently I had to help out because I declined Taylor's offer, I didn't want him to make a scene so I agreed.

"We're five minutes away from the starting gate, people," Miss Patty says. "Five minutes."

"Oh, my God, you guys look so cute," Rory says to some little kids. "You know, it was just seven short years ago that I was a little Chinese acrobat just like you."

"You smell!" One of the kids says before they run off.

"And we respected our elders when I was a little Chinese acrobat," Rory argues to no one in particular.

"You used to be a Chinese acrobat?" I ask Rory amused.

"Yeah," Rory answers. "What of it?"

"Nothing," I reply. "But you definitely look good as Anthea," I say as I kiss her.

"Hey," Rory says as she pulls back. "Watch the makeup."

"Okay," I reply, but am interrupted by Kirk.

"You have to go somewhere else!" Kirk yells at the Troubadour.

"Okay," The Troubadour replies sadly.

"Perhaps there's an empty chair next to one of your friends, say, the high priest Caiaphas?" Kirk argues. "Maybe he can accommodate you, hmm?"

"I'm surprised that you aren't Judas," Rory says to me.

"Ow," I say in mock hurt. "That was a low blow."

"Hey, Rory," Lorelai says coming up to us. "One of those little acrobat boys told me my breath smells stinky. They're running wild."

"Acro-brats, I call them," Rory replies cunningly.

"Ha, nice!" Lorelai says.

"Thank you," Rory replies.

"Got your ferret," Lorelai says as she shows Rory the ferret.

"Oh, he looks mean," Rory replies.

"Aw, I don't think there's any such thing as a friendly ferret and definitely not a cute one," Lorelai tells Rory.

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "They got dealt a rough card, those ferrets."

"Just be thankful that it's not a real ferret," I tell Rory as I eye the fake ferret.

"Well there's always that," Rory replies becoming less fearful of the fake ferret.

"Oh, hey," Lorelai says quickly. "Art nouveau clock girl, hands off the face."

"What?" Taylor asks confused. "Art nouveau clock girl touched her face? This place is bedlam."

"Oh, relax, Taylor," Miss Patty says. "We're right on schedule. Have a cigarette."

"I don't smoke," Taylor replies.

"Could you start?" Miss Patty asks him.

"Taylor, look, your cousin came to visit you backstage to say hello," Lorelai says as she grabs the ferret off Rory and puts on a high-pitched voice. "Oh, hello! What a pretty night it is for a festival! Do you have a mouse? I'm feeling a bit peckish."

"Put that down," Taylor says frustrated.

"Just trying to lighten the mood," Lorelai defends.

"It's too late," Taylor says nervously. "That Hank from Woodbury is sitting front-row center just trying to psych me out. If only Jess agreed to be David then we would be fine."

"What?" Lorelai and Rory ask confused.

That's just what I needed. So much for having that secret buried forever. Now Lorelai and Rory have more ammunition against me.

"We asked Jess to be Michelangelo's David," Taylor explains. "But he refused."

"Why did you refuse?" Rory asks me sadly. "I would have loved to see that."

"You do see that," I reply flirtatiously. "Quite often actually."

"Oh, dirty," Lorelai says disgusted. "I didn't need to hear that."

"But why'd you refuse?" Rory asks me again.

"If I hadn't refused then you wouldn't get to be Anthea, now would you?" I argue.

"You did this for me?" Rory asks still not believing me.

"No," I answer truthfully. "You just happened to be their next choice."

"Oh," Rory says realizing. "Well I'm glad you refused so that I could wear a fake ferret."

"Glad I could help," I reply.

"Wait," Lorelai says still confused. "They asked you to be David… why?"

"No idea," I reply. "Maybe because I look like a statue," I add sarcastically.

"Or because he looks as good as David," Rory suggests. "Well, in some aspects."

"Hey," I say surprised. "That's what I thought."

"Oh god," Lorelai says realizing what we were implying. "Do you guys have to do that? Rory is my daughter and you're like a son to Luke, therefore meaning that you are like my son."

"Sorry," Rory apologizes.

"I think I'll live," Lorelai says brightening up. "Now I can finally use my Michelangelo material."

"You have Michelangelo material?" I ask Lorelai in disbelief.

"Oh, she has material on everything," Rory tells me. "Trust me, I know."

"You often fight in the nude?" Lorelai ask me. And so it begins.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I say to Lorelai suggestively.

"Oh god," Lorelai says.

"You kind of walked into that one," Rory tells her mother.

"I know," Lorelai replies. "But I'll think of another one, trust me."

"Looking forward to it," I say to her.

"So, is Sookie okay?" Miss Patty asks Lorelai.

"Oh, she's great," Lorelai tells Patty. "Still big, still waiting for the baby to pop out, but she's fine."

"Oh, good," Miss Patty replies.

"Was she the one shaking me in the middle of the night yelling, 'what motivated you to come out of your mother' over and over?" Rory asks Lorelai confused.

"She got a little spooked," Lorelai explains. "Wow. You're beautiful, Anthea."

"Definitely," I agree.

"I feel very painty," Rory replies.

"Ah," Lorelai says happily as she turns her attention to me. "Do you have all your toes on your left foot?"

"Last time I checked," I answer.

"Damn," Lorelai mutters. "How long did you have to stand like that beforeMichelangelo finished carving you?"

"Not long," I answer bored. "Apparently Michelangelo had a photographic memory."

"Damn it," Lorelai curses. "I gotta go change, but I will think of a good one Jess."

"Okay," I reply sarcastically. "I will be waiting anxiously."

"Freeze good," Lorelai tells Rory.

"I will," Rory replies as Lorelai goes off to get ready.

"So you got any David jokes?" I ask Rory. "Or suggestions… comments."

"Just one," Rory answers. "David's got nothing on you."

"Thanks," I reply. "I would kiss you right now, but I'm afraid Taylor will behead me if I ruin your makeup."

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "I wouldn't put it past him."

* * *

The festival went off without a hitch. Lorelai didn't flinch even though Sookie's baby pager went off. Sookie delivered a healthy baby boy, or so I heard, I steered clear of Sookie's house for the remainder of the night. I was already in bed by the time Lorelai and Rory came home at around midnight. Rory joined me in my bed, but I was too tired to start up a conversation, so I stayed quiet.

"Aha," Lorelai says as she comes into my room and turns on the light.

"What?" I ask confused as I look at the clock, it was 3:47 am. "Jeez," I mumble as I put my head under my pillow trying to block out the light.

"I have it," Lorelai rejoices. "The best David joke… wait where's Rory?"

"I don't know," I reply tiredly

"On the floor," Rory mumbles as she gets up and rejoins me on the bed.

"What were you doing on the floor?" Lorelai asks confused.

"It's colder?" Rory questions tiredly as she closes her eyes. "I have no idea."

"Come on," I say to Lorelai. "Hit me with your joke, I don't have all night, and it must be pretty good if you're up at 3:47."

"Okay, here goes," Lorelai says preparing herself. "Do you have a detachable fig leaf? You know for like when the queen comes to visit."

"Nice one," I mumble. "You actually put a lot of thought into that one."

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "Now go back to bed."

"Not until you answer," Lorelai says defiantly.

"Fine," I mumble. "I do, but it's more like a chastity belt and guess what?"

"What?" Lorelai asks excitedly.

"Only Rory has the key," I answer.

"Oh god," Lorelai says. "Why do you have to turn everything back on me like that?"

"Because you woke my up for something that could've waited until the morning," I reply. "Turn the light off on your way out."

"So you really liked my joke though?" Lorelai asks wanting praise.

"It was very cleaver," I praise her.

"Thanks," Lorelai says as she turns off the light and leaves the room.

"Can people get away with murder yet?" I ask Rory.

"No," Rory replies. "But you must admit that was pretty good, she actually thought it out."

"Sure, I said it was cleaver," I say tiredly. "Now let's get some sleep. This isn't the last we've heard of this."

"I know," Rory replies as she rolls over and lays her head on my chest. "You can never kill my mother," Rory mumbles half asleep. "Never."

I let out a small laugh and reply. "I would never dream of it." But Rory was already fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N- Review **


	8. Matt and Chris Return

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Curley-Q, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, KinneticsHollow, kylielink, mizskitles220, Rory&Jess Fanatic, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- I do not own**

**Okay, so I'm taking a new approach, as the last chapter didn't rate as well, I'm just going to stick to the basic outline of the show. This means that I won't be using any quotes from the show unless it's a quote that I have retained. I'm also going to be adding things that didn't happen in Rory's first year of Yale, just to make it more interesting **

**Enjoy**

"Jess door," I hear Finn yell from the living room.

I walk out into the common area and notice the door closed and Finn lying on the couch.

"How do you know it's for me?" I ask Finn annoyed.

I was in my room typing, turns out that I had written a lot over the summer. I wasn't even half way through yet and Finn's constant annoyance wasn't helping any.

"I don't have friends," Finn replies. "They abandoned me to go sailing around the world."

"Don't cry now," I say sarcastically to Finn as I open the door.

"Jess, brother," Chris says as I step aside and let him in. "How's it going?"

"Good," I reply as I look out the door. "Hey, wasn't there two of you?"

"Oh yeah," Chris says as he sits down. "Matt's parking the car, well trying to park the car, this place is packed."

"Yeah," I agree. "There's a ballet recital… performance on," I only knew because Rory was attending it with Lorelai for an article she had to write.

"Ballet performance?" Matt asks as he walks through the door. "Why are we still here then?"

"We're not going to a ballet performance," Chris says as he closes his eyes. "Although Matt if you feel the need, then go ahead."

"What are you doing here anyway?" I ask them confused as I shut the door and sit across from Chris.

"We are here because we can't decide on a name for our publishing house," Chris explains.

"Hey," Matt says in defense. "I've already put forward mine… Cedar's Publishing House."

"Cedar's?" I question confused. "And that relates to books how?"

"It doesn't have to relate to books," Matt replies.

"Jess," Finn moans from the couch. "Can't you take you annoying friends into your room?"

"No," I reply.

"I'm trying to sleep," Finn says. "Fine… I'm going to the pub."

Finn gets up from the couch and stumbles out the door.

"So?" Chris says as the door closes behind Finn. "Nice roommate."

"Yeah," Matt agrees. "You must be partying a lot."

"Not really," I reply truthfully. "I try to avoid all of Finn's parties."

"Sure," Chris says not believing me.

"You don't even know me," I snap at Chris. "Now what are we doing about this name?"

"Well I was thinking that we could do something with our names," Chris suggests. "Like JMC Books, or something along those lines."

"Well that's definitely a step up from Matt's idea," I tell them.

"What did you have in mind?" Matt asks me.

"I don't know," I reply. "Something classy, yet one of a kind."

"And?" Matt and Chris ask me.

"No," I reply quickly. "We'll just go with JMC."

"Come on Jess," Chris says to me. "You're our partner, we won't laugh at you."

"Fine," I reply. "Truncheon."

"Truncheon?" Matt questions.

"I like it," Chris replies. "It sounds mysterious."

"I don't know," Matt says.

"Oh Matt agrees," Chris says to me. "It's just hard for him to give up on the name Cedar's."

"Hey," Matt defends. "Stop knocking Cedar's."

"I can see that," I say to them. Matt did seem awfully fixated on the name.

"Fine," Matt relents. "But I'm naming our bar."

"Bar?" I question confused.

"We're not owning a bar," Chris tells Matt.

"Come on," Matt pleads. "It'll be just like Cheers… where everybody knows your name."

"Why can't Truncheon be like that?" I ask Matt confused. "There are only three of us, so I'm pretty sure that they are going to remember your name."

"It's not the same," Matt replies.

"Why?" I ask him confused.

"Because it's not a bar," Chris answers for Matt. "Just leave him be, he has some weird fixation on the show."

"I'm not obsessed," Matt replies as he sits down on the couch in defeat.

"Really?" Chris questions. "How many seasons did it run for and what years."

"Seven seasons," Matt answers quickly. "From 1982 to 1993."

"See," Chris says to me.

"I see," I reply amused.

"Damn it," Matt mutters. "Why'd you have to ask me a Cheers question Chris, now Jess thinks that I am a freak."

"Oh, no I don't," I clarify. "I always thought that you were a freak… this just confirmed my suspicions."

"Anyway," Chris says changing the subject. "How'd you come up with the name Truncheon?"

"Looked through the dictionary," I answer truthfully. "I just came across the name and I knew that it was perfect."

"Wow," Chris says. "Fate."

"Oh no," Matt groans. "Whatever you do don't get Chris started on fate."

"Shut up," Chris retorts. "Cheers."

"Fate," Matt counters.

"Cheers," Chris replies.

I tuned them out. I wasn't going to stop them it looked like they needed to get this out of their system. About five minutes later Rory walks in, Matt and Chris were still arguing.

"Hey," I say as I kiss Rory and she sits down on my lap.

"Who are they?" Rory asks confused. "And should we call an ambulance before one of them suffers a brain aneurism?"

"No, they'll be fine," I reply. "So how was the ballet?"

"Oh you don't want to know," Rory says tiredly.

"Ah," I reply. "That bad."

"Yeah," Rory answers. "Let me give you a few words, hippo and fat rolls under the bra strap."

"Ooh, sounds intriguing," I reply.

"Well you are going to have to wait until the next issue of the Yale Daily News comes out to read it," Rory explains to me.

"So I'm sleeping with a journalist, yet I have to wait for the paper to be printed?" I ask Rory as I pout. "That is so unfair."

"Well," Rory replies flirtatiously. "Maybe I could give you a sneak peek." I'm still pouting and Rory takes this as an opportunity to suck my bottom lip.

"Ah um," Chris says as he clears his throat and Rory and I break away.

"You're finished then?" I ask them. "And who won."

"We agreed to disagree," Matt answers.

"So, is this you infamous girlfriend Jess?" Chris asks me.

"Yeah," I reply. "Rory, Matt and Chris. Matt and Chris, Rory."

"Nice to meet you," Matt and Chris say.

"Yeah you too," Rory replies and then turns her attention to me. "Why am I infamous?"

"No idea," I reply truthfully. "I try to block out everything that they say."

"So, why am I infamous?" Rory asks Matt and Chris suspiciously.

"Because you stole our Jess from us," Chris says sadly. "From… Philly."

"Yeah, it's never going to be the same," Matt adds.

"Huh, they seem a little like Finn," Rory replies confused. "Have they met Finn yet?"

"Yeah," I answer. "I don't think Finn likes them."

"Please," Rory replies. "Finn doesn't like anyone."

"Just because he claims not to remember your name half the time," I explain to Rory. "Doesn't mean that he doesn't like you."

"Fine," Rory huffs. "So what are you guys doing here?" Rory asks Matt and Chris.

"We heard about the ballet," Matt answers. "We wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Really?" Rory questions confused. "You drove all the way down here from Philly just to catch some ballet performance."

"Matt's daughters in it," Chris replies.

"They actually came here to decide on a name for the publishing business," I explain to Rory.

"And what did you decide on?" Rory asks excitedly.

"Truncheon books," I answer. I hoped Rory liked it otherwise we would have to change it.

"Interesting," Rory replies.

"Do you like it?" I ask her anxiously.

"I love it Jess," Rory replies as she kisses me.

"So," Chris says and Rory and I pull apart. "Can we crash here for the night?"

"Sure," I reply. "You'll have to check with Finn, but it should be fine."

"Good," Matt replies relieved. "I really didn't want to drive all the way back to Philly tonight."

"Rory love," Finn says dramatically as he bursts through the door. "Thank god you're alright."

"What?" Rory asks confused.

"I was waiting for you out the front of the performing hall," Finn says sadly. "And you never showed."

"Yeah," Rory replies. "That's because I went out the back."

"And why would you do that?" Finn asks as he sits down next to Matt, but faces Rory and me. "I was waiting for you."

"Well," Rory replies. "Maybe you should have told me that you were going to pick me up."

"It was a surprise," Finn explains. "You should have just come out the front like everyone else. I don't even see why you were at that stupid performance."

"Hey," Matt says angrily to Finn. "My daughter was in that performance."

"Well," Finn replies. "I heard it sucked."

"I can't believe you would say that," Matt says getting worked up. "My daughter has worked for this all her whole entire life and what are you a ballet expert or something?"

"Hey Matt," Rory says amused. "Was your daughter the one with the rolls of fat under her bra strap?"

"Yes," Chris answers. "That's definitely her."

"Are you calling my daughter fat?" Matt asks Rory seriously.

"Maybe," Rory replies.

"That's it," Matt says as he gets up quickly and pulls Rory over his shoulder. "I'm taking you to apologize."

"Oh come on," Rory pleads. "Matt it was just a joke."

"No it wasn't," Matt says as he leaves the dorm. "You are going to apologize and that's final."

"But I don't want to," Rory replies as she pouts.

"Hey," Matt asks some random guy in the hallway. "Do you know where we can find the fat ballerina from tonight's performance?"

"No, sorry," The guy replies.

"Matt," Rory whines. "Put me down."

"Fine, fine," Matt says as he releases Rory.

"Hmmm, so you have a fat daughter," Rory says to Matt. "Well I can see where she gets it from," Rory adds as she dodges Matt and runs back into the dorm.

"Help," Rory squeals as she hides behind me. "Your deranged business partner is trying to kill me."

"Leave her alone," I say protectively.

"No," Matt replies. "She called me fat."

"So," Chris replies. "You've been called worse, plus you're not fat, you're just big boned."

"Oh come on," Matt whines. "Why is it pick on Matt day."

"When isn't it pick on Matt day?" I ask him.

"Maybe you should find your daughter," Finn suggests.

"My daughter?" Matt asks totally forgetting.

"You know," Rory reminds him. "The ballerina."

"Right," Matt replies. "I claim not to be related to her… all she's done for me is get me picked on mercifully."

"Nice daughter she is," Finn says. "I think that you need to discipline her better… and for the love of god tell her that she wasn't made to be a ballerina."

"You do know that it's not his daughter right?" Chris asks Finn confused.

"Oh, he knows," I reply.

"Good," Chris says. "Because this conversation was getting a little too literal for my tastes."

"But," Matt replies hopefully. "A ballerina for a daughter."

"Shut up," Chris says as he throws a cushion at Matt's head.

"So, when are the dingleberries leaving?" Finn asks me. "Soon?"

"Oh," I say to Finn. "Didn't I tell you? They're staying the night."

"What?" Finn questions confused. "I can't believe this."

"Maybe we should find a hotel," Chris suggests.

"No, don't worry about it," Rory replies. "Finn just likes being the center of attention."

"Yeah," I agree. "It will be good for him to learn that he's not the only person on the planet."

"Come on," Finn whines. "I'm sitting right here."

"So?" Rory replies and we all start laughing, except Finn. "Ooh," Rory says excitedly. "Tonight's the perfect night for a movie night."

"No," Finn groans.

"We're in," Chris answers for Matt and himself.

"I'm going back to the pub," Finn says as he gets up.

"No you're not," Rory says as she stands up and pushes Finn back down. "We're all going to enjoy this… like a family."

"Family?" Finn questions. "I don't watch movies with my family."

"Finn," Rory warns. "Do you want me to invite Matt's ballerina daughter to keep you company."

"No," Finn replies defeated.

"We'll good because we are watching Grease," Rory says as she gets up and put the movie in.

"No!" Matt, Chris and I groan.

"Hell yeah," Finn says excitedly as he sits on the edge of the couch in anticipation. "This is going to be fun mates, just you wait and see."

**A/N- Review **


	9. Party Like it's Philadelphia

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **angelscovegirl, bluedancer, Curley-Q, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, KinneticsHollow, kylielink, mizskitles220, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Do not own**

**Enjoy**

**

* * *

**"Hopelessly devoted to you," Finn sang at the top of his lungs.

"Shut up," Matt groans from the couch.

"Yeah," Chris agrees. "It's been two days since we watched that stupid movie."

"Yes two days," I say to Matt and Chris. "Are you guys planning on going home anytime soon?"

"No," Matt replies. "I think Philly hates us, plus New Haven definitely has potential."

"Philly," Finn muses out loud but says nothing else.

"We'll go home this afternoon," Chris promises.

"Good," I say relieved.

"No!" Finn says quickly to Chris. "You can leave tomorrow… morning."

"Why?" Chris asks confused.

"No reason," Finn replies.

"Finn I know what you're planning," I tell him.

"Then you know how important it is then," Finn says to me.

"It's not important," I reply. "You've made up worse excuses."

"Exactly," Finn says. "This is a legitimate excuse and we cannot let this pass us."

"What's going on?" Matt asks confused.

"Nothing," I answer. "Finn drop what you have planned."

"What have you planned?" Chris asks Finn excitedly.

"Does it involve beautiful women?" Matt asks.

"Yes, it does," Finn answers.

"No," I warn Finn. "We agreed on one a week and you've already had three."

"So," Finn whines. "This is a special occasion… they are your friends."

"They are not my friends," I reply. "They are my business partners."

"Business partners," Matt says in mock hurt.

"Yeah Jess," Chris agrees. "I thought that we were friends."

"Jeez," I relent as I storm off to my room. "Fine, have your party Finn. Just don't include me."

"Party?" Matt asks excitedly. "Yes!"

"What about Jess?" Chris asks.

"He'll come around," Finn tells Chris. "He always does."

"So why are you having a party?" Chris asks confused.

"In honor of you two of course," Finn explains. "It's going to be a Philadelphia themed party."

"That's the theme?" Matt asks confused. "Philadelphia?"

"Yeah," Finn agrees. "Every party has to have a theme."

"And we get stuck with the Philadelphia themed party," Chris says in disgust. "That sucks. We came here to get away from Philly."

"It's just a theme," Finn explains. "All that matters is that there will be booze and women… well let's just make that booze."

"No women?" Matt asks confused.

"Well I'm sure that Rory will be there," Finn replies. "And maybe her roommate Paris."

"Rory's with Jess," Chris states.

"But this Paris isn't," Matt says suggestively. "Let's get Jess and go invite her."

"No," Finn replies quickly. "She's mine."

"Why?" Matt asks confused. "She hot?"

"No," Finn replies. "But she's still mine. You two can fight over Stephanie."

"Stephanie?" Chris questions.

"Is she hot?" Matt asks hopefully.

"Sure is," Finn replies. "Now let's go recruit Jess' help."

"Where is he?" Matt asks confused as he walks into my room.

"That little bugger," Finn says making his way over to the window. "He escaped… again."

"Escaped?" Chris asks confused.

"Again?" Matt asks. "This has happened before?"

"Only a couple of times," Finn replies.

"Ummm," Chris says confused. "You're on the second floor."

"So?" Finn asks confused.

"How does he escape? There's no fire escape," Chris says as he looks down at the ground far below. "No drain pipe… nothing."

"I don't know how he does it," Finn replies. "The important thing is that there are only two places where he could be."

"And where's that?" Matt asks confused as they walk out of the dorm.

"Rory's dorm," Finn answers. "Or the science building."

"The science building?" Chris asks confused. "Why the hell would Jess go there?"

"Beats me," Finn replies. "That's just where he goes."

"Let's check the science building first," Matt suggests. "And then we can stay and wait in Rory's dorm until he shows up."

"Okay," Finn says as he leads them to a massive building. "Here you go."

"This is the science building?" Matt asks amazed.

"Yeah," Finn answers as he walks inside. "What of it?"

"It's massive," Chris replies. "How are we going to find Jess in here?"

"Astronomy section," Finn answers as he leads them through the maze of exhibits.

"Astronomy?" Chris asks confused.

"No idea mate," Finn replies. "I just know where he goes, not why he goes there."

"This place is like a museum," Matt says looking around. "Why does a university need a museum?"

"They have to spend there money somehow," Chris answers.

"Damn," Finn mutters as he checks in the space capsule. "He's not here."

"Why would he be in the space capsule?" Chris asks confused.

"No idea," Finn replies making his way out of the building. "I just found him in there one day. He had fallen asleep reading… he looked so cute."

"And why was he in here in the first place?" Mat asks confused.

"Well, I may have accidentally kissed Rory," Finn explains. "Accidentally, of course."

"Accidentally?" Matt questions.

"I was drunk," Finn clarifies. "But not as drunk as he thought I was."

"So you like Rory?" Chris asks Finn.

"No, heavens no," Finn replies quickly. "I was just getting back at Jess. He decided to hide all of my alcohol… not to mention that I haven't seen my favorite flask since."

"So you like Paris then?" Chris asks still confused.

"No," Finn replies. "I figure if Jess sees that I have moved on then he will give me my flask back… but then again Paris is feisty."

"Dude, Yale life is so screwed up," Chris says as Finn stops outside of Rory's dorm.

"What?" Paris snaps as she opens the door.

"Is Jess here?" Finn asks hopefully.

"No," Paris replies and then closes the door.

"We don't mind waiting," Finn says as he steps inside.

"Rothschild," Stephenie screams from behind him and joins him in the dorm. "Why didn't you tell me that you were having a party?"

"How'd she know?" Chris asks confused. "We haven't even told anyone yet."

"She's Steph," Finn replies walking into the dorm further. "She knows all the parties going on around Yale."

"But we didn't tell anyone," Chris repeats.

"Steph?" Matt questions. "As in Stephanie?"

"Yeah," Finn replies. "Good luck."

"Good luck on what?" Steph asks confused. "Finn?"

"Ah, Jess there you are," Finn says as he opens up the door to Rory's room and notices the open window. "What don't you use doors anymore."

"What?" Rory asks confused. "You climbed out that window again, didn't you? You're going to hurt yourself one day."

"Good," I reply. "A fast death instead of a slow one."

"What did you do to him this time?" Rory asks Finn putting her arm comfortingly around me.

"Nothing," Finn replies. "We're just throwing a party to see his friends… I mean, business partners off."

"That's four this week," Rory replies. "Need I remind you what the last one was called?"

"No," Finn replies. "I remember."

"Are you sure?" I ask him. "You did drink a lot that night."

"It was…" Finn starts cringing. "Steph's time of the month party."

"And how did Steph take that?" Rory asks Finn.

"This one is different," Finn defends. "It a Philadelphia themed party."

"And what are people supposed to come as?" I ask him confused. "Rocky… maybe they could dress up as a cheesesteak or the Liberty Bell."

"Well it's definitely sounds better than the last party," Rory argues. "I saw way too many guy's dressed up as tampons last time."

"Yeah," Finn agrees. "It wasn't the best themed party I agree, but this one is definitely better."

"I'm in," Rory says excitedly.

"What?" I ask her confused.

"I like Matt and Chris," Rory replies. "And I want a chance to say goodbye to them."

"They're in the other room," I tell her. "You can say your goodbye now."

"No," Rory replies. "I will say goodbye at the party."

"Fine," I say angrily as I get off Rory's bed. "Have you're party."

"Don't even think about going to the science building," Finn warns me as I am half way out of the window.

Great, time to find another hiding spot, where was my fortress of solitude when I needed it?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had spent the rest of the day in Stars Hollow. That was the good thing about home being only thirty minutes away.

But now I had decided that it was about time to show up at the party, it had started three hours ago.

"Jess," Rory says as she runs over to me and hugs me. "You came?"

"Of course," I reply bitterly. "I always come."

"I'm glad that you are here," Rory says as she leads me over to the couch.

"What are you dressed as?" I ask her confused as I take in her costume.

"Adrian from Rocky," Rory says excitedly. "Who are you dressed as?"

"Rocky's son," I reply.

"But Rocky doesn't have a son," Rory replies confused.

"Huh," I reply. "Learn something new everyday."

"So you didn't dress up?" Rory asks sadly.

"Well if Rocky doesn't have a son, then no," I reply. "So are Matt and Chris having a good time?"

"Sure," Rory replies amused. "Chris is after Stephanie, whilst Matt is competing with Finn for Paris' affections."

"So in other words," I say to Rory. "They are both failing miserably?"

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "But at least they are enjoying themselves."

"Jess," A drunken Finn says to me as he sits down in between Rory and I. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"No your not," I reply truthfully.

"Well, you're right, I'm not sorry," Finn says. "But Matt and Chris are enjoying themselves and isn't that all that matters?"

"Sure," I reply. "If you take my feelings out of the mix, then sure that's all that matters."

"What's his problem?" Finn asks Rory like I wasn't even there.

"Don't worry about it," Rory tells Finn. "Just go off and have fun."

"Okay," Finn says as he gets off the couch and disappears into the crowd.

"Why don't you just tell him," Rory says to me.

"No," I reply quickly.

"Why?" Rory asks confused. "You hate parties and for a very good reason. Just tell him and I'm sure that he'll stop throwing parties."

"It's only for a year," I tell Rory. "I'm only going to be living here for a year, so I'm not going to lay all my problems on Finn just so that he can use them against me one day."

"He won't use them against you," Rory replies. "Plus with your mom's situation…"

"I told you in confidence Rory," I snap at her. "I don't want the whole world knowing my problems."

"But it's a whole year," Rory argues. "And this is his fourth party this week, I know how much it hurts you to sit through these things, just let him know."

"I can't," I plead with her. "Just drop it… it's only for a year, then we'll get our own place off campus."

"Fine," Rory relents. "But I still think you should tell him."

I glare at her.

"Okay," Rory replies. "It's dropped."

"Good," I say relieved. "So were you enjoying the party?"

"Not until you came," Rory replies truthfully.

"Same here," I say as I kiss her.

"Hopelessly devoted to you," Matt, Chris and Finn sing from atop the kitchen counter.

"Great," I mumble. "They're singing."

"Well, at least they are going home tomorrow," Rory reassures me.

"Sure," I reply as I kiss Rory again.

"Hopelessly devoted to you…"

* * *

**A/N- Review **


	10. Call Girl, Male Model and Yacht Sinking

**Thanks for all your reviews- **Amanda, angelscovegirl, felineofoz, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, kylielink, mizskitles220, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not mine**

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* * *

**I sat Finn down. I decided to tell him about my problem with his parties. Rory was right, if I didn't say anything then it would just get worse. The only problem I had now was getting Finn to sit still for more then five minutes.

"How long is this going to take?" Finn asks me impatiently.

"Not long," I respond.

"I don't have all day," Finn says quickly.

"It's about your partying," I tell him.

"I said I'm sorry," Finn replies. "I promise not to throw four parties in one week again."

"That's not really the issue," I explain. "Do you know how you get when you're drunk?"

"I have fair idea," Finn replies. "And what's the problem?"

"You've passed out twice this week let alone," I tell him. "I've lost count of how many times I've had to carry you to your room."

"Just leave me where I fall," Finn says. "That's what my friends usually do."

"I just… I can't do that," I reply nervously.

"Why not?" Finn asks confused. "Just explain it to me Jess."

"My mom was a drunk," I tell him avoiding his eyes. "I used to take her back to her room, like I do with you. One night I left her where she was, face down… she threw up in the middle of the night, it was just lucky that I decided to head into the kitchen for a drink of water that night… I found her choking on her vomit. One night Finn… I left her where she was for one night and she nearly died."

"I'm sorry Jess," Finn says as he slings his arm around me. "If I knew… I'm sure I wouldn't have held as many parties."

"It's fine," I reply quickly.

"What do you want?" Finn questions me. "Do you want me to stop drinking?"

"No," I reply. "It's your life. Maybe you could just refrain from throwing parties here… and I guess not go to as many parties. See I can deal with you, but when you throw a party here… there are just so many drunken people… I can't watch them all."

"No one expects you to," Finn says comfortingly.

"I do," I reply. "I expect myself to look after others when they are like that… drunk."

"Okay," Finn says. "I will limit the partying and I will throw no more parties in this dorm unless it's important."

"Important?" I ask him doubtfully.

"Like one of our birthdays," Finn replies.

"Sure," I say knowing that I would be in the Hollow for my birthday. "That's fine. Thanks for understanding."

"Sure," Finn replies as the phone rings. "I'll get it."

Finn jumps up off the couch and puts the phone on speaker phone.

"Miss Gilmore's dorm of pleasure," Finn says cheekily. "How may we service you?"

"Finn?" Colin questions.

"Yeah," Finn replies and I lie down on the couch and close my eyes.

"Who is this Miss Gilmore?" Logan asks curiously.

"My roommate's girlfriend," Finn replies cockily. "And yes I did replace you guys."

"It wasn't our fault," Colin whines. "Your dad made us leave without you and he's scary."

"My dad's a teddy bear compared to Mitchum," Finn replies.

"You're right," Logan agrees with Finn. "We just didn't want you to come."

"Yeah," Colin says. "You cause trouble…"

"Well," Logan interrupts. "Maybe it isn't Finn who causes all the trouble."

"What happened?" Finn asks amused.

"We may have accidentally sunk the yacht," Colin replies.

"Nothing a little alcohol won't fix though," Logan supplies.

"Where are you?" Finn asks not being able to keep the smile out of his voice.

"Fiji," Colin replies. "I think… some island."

"Listen Finn mate," Logan says. "We were wondering if you could transfer us some money."

"Or maybe send us the Huntzberger helicopter," Colin suggests.

"I don't know," Finn replies. "I'm kind of busy at the moment."

"You're never busy," Logan snaps.

"Logan," Colin warns. "Be nice, Finn holds our fate in his hands."

"Sorry," Logan says sarcastically.

"I know," Finn says excitedly. "Fiji's close to Australia."

"Really?" Colin asks happily.

"Yeah," Finn replies. "It's just across a stretch of water."

"How long of a stretch of water?" Logan asks skeptically.

"Oh not that long," Finn replies amused. "Anyway, you make it to Australia and I'll hook you up with a ride home… deal?"

"Deal," Colin says quickly.

"Wait," Logan says. "How far exactly… and where in Australia do we have to go?"

"Well I would say Perth just to piss you guys off, but Sydney… though if you make it to my hometown of Melbourne, I'll send you first class," Finn explains.

"What class is it if we only make it to Sydney?" Colin questions.

"Economy," Finn replies amused.

"Oh no," Colin says disgusted.

"And how far is it?" Logan asks getting angry.

"Oh," Finn replies. "Only about 3,500 km's, plus a little bit… and that's across water by the way."

"Wait," Logan says. "It's quicker to go to Hawaii, then Australia."

"I know," Finn replies amused. "But is Hawaii going to get you a flight home?"

"I hate you Finn," Logan says. "I swear when… if we get back home, you're going to get it."

"Alright mate," Finn responds. "Any death threats from you Colin."

"No," Colin says quickly. "Thanks for your help."

"My pleasure," Finn says as he disconnects the call. "That's what you get for not taking me on the yacht," Finn says to no one in particular as he lifts my legs up and joins me on the couch.

"So?" I question Finn. Surely now that his roommates were coming back I would have to move out.

"What?" Finn asks confused.

"Do I have to move out?" I ask him slightly disappointed, Finn's dramatic ways were growing on me and Rory seemed to like him.

"Nah mate," Finn replies excitedly. "You can stay for the rest of the year as promised, though I have to tell you that Logan and Colin can be a… handful, if it gets too much for you then I will help you find another place."

"Thanks," I say. "So how long do you think it will take them to get to Australia?"

"A week or so," Finn answers. "It all depends on how fast they can find a boat."

"I see, so about a week of freedom." I reply.

"Yeah," Finn agrees. "Enjoy it while you can."

"No," Rory says walking into the dorm talking on her phone. "No… no… no."

Rory sits down in the chair across from us and hands me the phone.

"Yes," I say into the phone.

"Jess," Lorelai says happily. "How is my favorite son?"

"Ummm, good," I reply shocked. "But I'm not your son you know."

"Well not biologically," Lorelai says. "But I'd say that we are close enough for me to call you son."

"Luke doesn't even call me son," I tell her.

"So," Lorelai replies. "Doesn't mean that I can't."

"Fine," I relent. "So how's the Hollow."

"Good, good," Lorelai replies. "Jess?"

"Yes," I answer.

"When are you coming home?" Lorelai asks me.

"I don't know," I reply. "Why?"

"Because I miss you," Lorelai says sadly.

"Hmmm," I reply. "I think that's just your pregnant excessive hormones talking, not to mention your total lack of caffeine."

"No," Lorelai says sure of herself. "I like you."

"Hmmm, okay," I say trying to figure out whether or not she was joking. "So how's Milo? He's not giving you any trouble is he?"

"No, he's fine," Lorelai replies. "Spends the day on the streets of Stars Hollow annoying Taylor and then comes home and sleeps on your bed… he's a good dog."

"That's good," I say relieved.

"So, what's going on with you?" Lorelai asks me. "How's Yale?"

"Good, I guess," I answer. "Finn's roommates are coming home sooner then expected."

"What?" Lorelai and Rory say at the same time.

"Seems as thought they managed to sink a multi million dollar yacht," I explain.

"How did they manage that?" Lorelai asks impressed.

"I'm guessing it involved alcohol," I answer.

"Alcohol," Finn says out loud remembering. "Rory, Jess told me about his mom."

"…to be living?" Lorelai finishes.

"Sorry," I ask her. "I'm trying to follow two conversations at once."

"I asked where you were going to be living," Lorelai repeats.

"Here, for now," I reply. "We'll see how it works out, but I've got until the end of this year to figure out my living arrangements for the next school year."

"Okay, that's good," Lorelai says relieved. "Just remember if things get tough or if you need a break you can come back home."

"Thanks," I reply. "And I might just have to take you up on that."

"So I will be seeing you soon then?" Lorelai asks excitedly.

"Not sure," I reply. "I'll head down as soon as I can… you do realize that I was there yesterday right?"

"Yesterday, really?" Lorelai says in mock confusion. "I could've sworn it was... well doesn't matter it feels way longer."

"Is this conversation even remotely weird for you?" I ask her in disbelief.

"No," Lorelai replies. "You're like the son I never had."

"Okay," I say, it sounded oddly sane.

"Hey Jess," Lorelai begins. "Do you play soccer?"

"What?" I ask her confused.

"I've always wanted someone in the family who is good at sports," Lorelai explains. "So do you play?"

"No," I respond.

"Could you learn?" Lorelai asks me hopefully.

"Wouldn't it be a little late for that?" I ask her confused. "Wait I'm smart isn't that enough?"

"No," Lorelai says and I can imagine her pouting. "Please Jess, play sports for me."

"Stop being a pageant mom," I tease her.

"Pageant… beauty pageant," Lorelai muses out loud. "Jess?"

"No," I answer quickly. "No way in hell."

"How about male modeling?" Lorelai asks me.

"Ummm," I respond. "Hang on I've got another call… I'll be right back."

"Hurry," Lorelai pleads.

I hang up Rory's phone and throw it back at her.

"What's up with your mom?" I ask her confused.

"So, it wasn't just me," Rory says relieved. "What did she try and make you do?"

"Soccer," I respond. "And then male modeling."

"Good," Rory says. "I think she was hinting at me quitting Yale and becoming a call girl."

"Now that would be interesting," Finn says to Rory. "How much do you charge… because I'm loaded?"

"I'm too expensive for you," Rory tells Finn as she gets up and does a sexy walk to the door.

"Blasphemy," Finn responds as Rory leaves and I let out a small laugh. "How much does she charge you?" Finn accuses me.

"Well I get family rates," I tell Finn. "So… free."

"The world is out to get me," Finn says shaking his head in disbelief.

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**A/N- So Logan and Colin will be coming back, not next chapter, but the one after that... possibly. So consider yourselves warned **

**Review**


	11. Finn's Sober and Playing Footy?

**Thanks for all your reviews- **Berserker Nightwitch, biancaruth, bluedancer, blueguju, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, kylielink, lukkygrl08, mizskitles220, puppypower317, Rory&Jess Fanatic, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

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**"Jess wake up," An overly excited Finn says to me.

"What?" I mumble back.

"I said time to get up," Finn repeats.

"What time is it?" I ask him confused.

"Nine," Finn replies. "And I'm tired of waiting for you to wake up."

"Fine," I mumble as I sit up and am blinded by the sun. "You do realize that the sun is up?" I ask Finn in disbelief.

"Yes," Finn says excitedly. "Now hurry up, I made breakfast."

"You made breakfast?" I ask him confused as I stand up. "Are you sure that I'm still not dreaming?"

"No," Finn replies. "Now hurry up before it gets cold."

"I'm coming," I say as I follow him out to the kitchen. "Can you even cook?" I ask him confused, I didn't think that he could.

"Sure," Finn replies. "Not as good as you though."

"Well it smells good," I tell Finn as I take a seat. "What is it?"

"Finn's special omelette," Finn replies excitedly as he takes a bite and I follow suit.

"Not bad," I tell him as I take another bite.

"I know," Finn replies excitedly. "It tastes good."

"So why are you up so early?" I ask him confused. Finn was never up early unless he had class.

"It's a sunny day Jess," Finn tells me. "It's the perfect day to play footy."

"Are you drunk?" I ask him confused. I couldn't find any other explanation.

"No," Finn replies. "Quite the opposite actually… I'm sober."

"Sober?" I question him. "Really?"

"Yep," Finn says. "I haven't had a drink in two days."

"Two days?" I muse out loud. "Right after I told you about my problems with your drinking?"

"Well, yes," Finn replies.

"This isn't what I meant Finn," I tell him. "It's definitely a nice chance, but you can still drink just don't go overboard."

"No," Finn replies happily. "I like this… everything's clearer."

"Yeah," I tell him. "Welcome to the real world."

"Thanks," Finn replies. "So what do you think?"

"I think that it's great," I tell him truthfully.

"Great," Finn replies. "So you'll play footy with me then?"

"Footy?" I question confused.

"Yeah," Finn says. "You know football."

"I don't know," I tell him. "I don't really enjoy throwing around football."

"No," Finn says shaking his head. "Aussie rules."

"Aussie rules what?" I ask him completely confused.

"Australian Rules Football… AFL," Finn explains to me but I'm still somewhat confused. "You know the mighty North Melbourne Kangaroos?"

"No," I reply confused. "I don't know."

"Best AFL team out there," Finn says proudly.

"What's AFL?" I ask him trying to get a straight answer.

"Hang on," Finn says as he goes into his room and comes back out with a red ball in his hands. "Now this is a Sherrin, best football out there."

"Why's it red?" I ask him confused. "And why's it a weird shape."

"Jess my boy," Finn says as he drags me over to the couch. "You need to learn some Australian culture."

"Why?" I ask him confused.

"Because I said so," Finn replies. "Now this is a football and in Australia we play AFL also know as 'footy' to all us manly blokes. The rules are different from American football and the main one being is that we kick the ball instead of throwing it."

"Okay," I reply. "I think I'm following. So you kick this red ball?"

"Good, very good," Finn says excitedly. "Now get dressed and let's go."

"I don't know," I reply, but I can see just how excited Finn is. "Okay," I relent. "Just give me a few minutes."

I come out a few minutes later and notice that Finn has changed clothes as well. He is now wearing short shorts, knee high socks and a singlet jersey. His whole outfit was blue and white in color. He looked ridiculous.

"What are you wearing?" I ask Finn confused.

"My uniform," Finn says proudly. "We may not have won the premiership flag this year, but my Roos gave it their best shot."

"Premier ship flag?" I ask him confused.

"Ummm," Finn says thinking about it. "I guess you could say that it's like winning the Super Bowl."

"Okay," I reply. "I've got you. You know it's freezing out there right?"

"So," Finn replies excitedly. "You can't pass up a prime opportunity to dress up in your teams colors… hmmm you're wearing black and white."

"So?" I ask confused.

"Collingwood," Finn hisses. "I hate them."

"Ooh," I say excitedly to him. "If you are the Kangaroos then what animal am I?"

"The Magpie," Finn replies as he grabs the football and heads to the door.

"Magpie?" I question confused. "That's lame… what colors do I have to wear to be a cool animal like you?"

"Blue and white obviously," Finn says to me whilst motioning towards his outfit. "Never mind, let's just go and kick the footy."

"Geez its cold," I say as we walk out of Berkley house. "You must be freezing."

"I'm fine," Finn replies. "I've played in worse. This is like a warm day in Melbourne."

"Okay, okay," I say impatiently. "What do I do?"

"You stand there," Finn tells me and he runs off with the football. He stops about 60 yards away.

"I can't kick it that far," I yell at Finn.

"What?" Finn yells back. "You ready?"

"What do I do?" I yell back confused.

"Mark it," Finn replies.

"What's mark it?" I ask him even more confused.

"Catch it," Finn says as he kicks it towards me.

"Oh shit," I mumble as I see how fast it is coming towards me. I open my arms ready to catch it. It was coming in fast and it was spinning fast. "No!" I say quickly as I step to the side and lets the ball hit the ground beside me.

"Jess," Finn says coming over to me. "You can't be afraid of the ball."

"But I am," I reply truthfully. "It's like a spinning missile of death."

"Here," Finn says picking up the football and handing it to me. "Give it a kick."

I hold it awkwardly in my hands and bring my foot up to kick it. It only went a few yards and it went sideways, not perfectly straight like Finn's.

"Here," Finn says as he picks up the ball. "Watch how I do it. You have the laces pointing forward, you bring your kicking foot up slowly and you move you arms down, and then when you get in about this position you drop the ball onto your foot and kick it."

"That sounds complicated," I say after watching Finn's perfect kick again.

"Just try it," Finn says as he throws… does some weird thing with his hand and the ball. "It's called a handball," Finn tells me. "You'll learn that next."

"Sure," I reply as I catch the football this time.

"Now kick it to me," Finn says as he stands in front of me a bit. "Just like I showed you."

"I wouldn't stand there," I warn him.

"Come on Jess," Finn whines. "Just kick it."

"Okay," I reply as I kick it how he showed me. It went relatively straight, but it was sideways and spinning in a weird direction.

I watched in horror as Finn went under the spinning missile of death. I realized right then that they probably made it red for a reason… it was easier to see, plus red equals danger. Finn opened his arms and caught it perfectly.

"How'd you do that?" I ask him confused.

"Easy," Finn answers. "I didn't jump away from the ball when it came towards me. Here try again," Finn says as he kicks it softly towards me. I nearly caught it too.

I kicked it again. It didn't spin wildly this time and it got a fair bit of height. Finn ran to the left to get underneath it. I was waiting for the ball to fall into his waiting arms, but he jumped up to it instead. It was an impressive jump too, arms outstretched, body twisted at a weird angle… and he caught it, it looked so impressive.

"Wow!" I say to him as he kicks it back to me and I catch it this time. "How did you learn to catch like that?"

"Practice," Finn replies. "Mainly playing markers up."

"Markers up?" I ask him confused as I kick the football towards him. I was slowly getting the hang of this and it was pretty fun too.

"You get a group of mates," Finn explains as he kicks the ball back. "And one is up, which means that they stand by themselves, whilst the rest stand about 40 meters away in a group. The guy that's up kicks the ball into the center of the group and whoever marks it goes up, which means that they now kick the ball into the group."

"Sounds cool," I reply. "Can we play it?"

"You need more people than two," Finn says as he kicks the ball towards me. "It's more fun that way… and bloody."

"What?" I ask him confused.

"There can be a few broken noses," Finn replies. "Wayward elbows and everything… not to mention the people that do it intentionally."

"Kicking's fine," I tell him as I kick the football back to him. Who knew that a simple game of markers up could be so violent?

"Nice one," Finn says to me as he takes a few steps back and kicks it to me, which I now catch easily.

"How long are we going to do this for?" I ask Finn.

"Not much longer," Finn replies. "I'm freezing my nads off."

"Told you that it was cold," I tell him cockily.

"By the way," Finn tells me. "I'm making you lunch."

"Really?" I ask him skeptically. "What are we having?"

"An Aussie favorite," Finn replies.

"It's not full of fat is it?" I ask him.

"No," Finn replies. "I think that you're mixing my culture with yours."

"So what is it?" I ask him impatiently.

"It's a surprise," Finn replies. "But you're going to love it… it tastes so good."

"Fine," I relent. "Are we heading back in now then?"

"Sure," Finn replies and I kick the ball back to him.

"Good," I say relieved. "It's freezing out here."

"Think quick," Finn says as he handballs me the ball once we get back inside our warm dorm room. "Call Rory up, I want to make this for her too, but first I'm going to get changed."

"Sure," I reply as I sit down on the couch and pull out my phone.

"What?" Rory asks as she answers her phone.

"Dear," I mock. "Won't you come over, Finn wants to cook us lunch."

"Finn can't cook," Rory replies.

"Turns out her can," I tell her. "And he wants to cook both of us lunch."

"Fine," Rory says. "I'll be over soon."

"Okay dear," I reply. "I'll see you then."

"Stop calling me dear," Rory says as she hangs up and I let out a little laugh.

"Now, now," Finn says to me. "It's not right to mock others. Now I'm cooking lunch… no looking."

"Yes, sir," I reply as I flick on the TV and wait for Rory.

"It's ready," Finn says only a few minutes later.

"Sorry, I'm late," Rory says to me as she gives me a kiss. "I had to make a coffee pit stop."

"Never mind," Finn says. "I just finished cooking it," He says as he hands Rory and I a plate.

"What is it?" Rory asks as she sits down on the couch next to me.

"It's a famous slightly toasted Aussie sanga," Finn replies as he goes into the kitchen and grabs his own.

"Sanga?" I question Finn confused.

"Sandwich," Finn says as he takes a bite. "Come on," Finn says to Rory and I. "Dig in."

"Oh god," I say as I take a bite, it was disgusting. "What the hell is in this?"

"Vegemite and cheese," Finn replies taking another bite. "Why?"

"It tastes so good Finn," Rory says as she takes another bite.

"Vegemite?" I question Finn. "No way in hell anything named that can taste good."

"Can I have yours then, if you're not eating it?" Finn asks me.

"Sure," I reply. "Take it."

"No," Rory says. "I want half."

"Here," Finn says as he hands her half. "You can have Jess' saliva."

"Thanks," Rory replies sarcastically.

I look up at them in disbelief. They were actually enjoying their vegemite and cheese sandwiches. How could they? It was the worst thing I had ever tasted.

"Can you make me another one?" Rory asks hopefully.

"Sure," Finn says as he gets up.

"Is Finn sober?" Rory asks me quietly.

"Yeah," I answer. "I'll explain it later."

"Okay," Rory replies.

"We have a message," Finn says as he presses the play button.

"_Finn mate, we found our own way home, so screw you, settle down Logan, no Colin, you'll pay for this when we get home tomorrow… that's right tomorrow."_

"Great," Finn mutters as he heads off into the kitchen.

* * *

**A/N- ****I'm just pre-warning you guys**** that Logan and Colin will be in the next chapter**

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	12. Logan and Colin Return

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **angelscovegirl, Berserker Nightwitch, biancaruth, blueguju, Curley-Q, JARLY4EVER, Jeremy Shane, K-Marie-M, kathi-ryn, kaypgirl, kylielink, Lil' White Girl, Mallikad, mizskitles220, puppypower317, seebear, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93-** I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not Mine**

**I know that it has been forever and I am sorry for the wait, technically this story was on hiatus, but I never really told any of you, so it probably doesn't count, lol, anyway onwards and upwards… hopefully **

**Note: Finn's sober and Logan and Colin are returning to Yale after sinking the yacht **

**Enjoy**

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* * *

**"Why are you so jumpy?" Rory asks Finn.

"I'm sober," Finn tells her. "And my roommates are coming back."

"Shouldn't you be excited?" I ask him.

"You don't know them," Finn tells us. "Just don't take anything they say to heart alright."

"Alright," Rory and I answer.

"Phineas," Logan says coming into the dorm room a few minutes later. "How are you?"

"Good," Finn replies hugging Logan. "Glad to have you back."

"Good to be back," Logan tells him.

"Where's Colin?" Finn asks him.

"Bringing our bags up," Logan answers.

"Really?" Finn questions. "Colin doesn't do manual labor."

"You're right," Logan replies. "He's probably paying some freshman to carry them up for us."

"Don't let that bag drag," We hear from the hallway. "Lift it higher."

"I'm trying," Someone replies.

"Here we are," Colin says. "You'd think that you mother would have taught you how to carry bags properly… go on… shoo!"

"You promised me money," The poor kid stammers.

"I hired you for a service," Colin tells him. "I was not happy with the service, so I do not intend to pay."

"Just leave," I tell the kid.

"Ah," Logan says. "What do we have here? Is this your roommate Finn?"

"Yeah," Finn answers. "Logan, Colin, this is Jess and his girlfriend Rory."

"Rory?" Logan questions approaching us. "Nice name, so are you two serious?"

"Yes, we are," Rory answers.

"Well, we'll see," Logan replies.

"When's he moving out?" Colin asks Finn.

"I promised him to the end of the school year," Finn tells them. "And that's how long he is welcome here, no matter what either of you say."

"Let's go to the pub," Logan suggests. "Rory will you accompany us?"

"Finn?" Rory questions.

"I'm not going mate," Finn tells Logan nervously.

"Why?" Colin asks him confused.

"Just don't feel like it," Finn tells them.

"Never once since I've known you have you ever turned down an invitation to a pub," Logan tells him. "Come on Finn."

"I'm not going," Finn tells them firmly.

"Oh yes you are," Logan says putting his arm around Finn. "Come on Colin… to the pub."

"So that was Logan and Colin," Rory says. "What did you think?"

"I think that we have to go to the pub," I tell her standing up. "Who knows what trouble they will get Finn in."

"I agree," Rory says jumping up and following me out.

We made it to the pub quickly and noticed that they were already well into their first round of drinks.

"Hey," Finn says and I could tell that the alcohol was already starting to affect him.

"Hey," I told him as I sad down next to him, Rory sat next to me, across from Logan.

"Ah Rory," Logan says. "I'm glad that you could join us. What can I get you?"

"Coffee," Rory tells him.

"You know," Logan says. "I can give you a lot more than that… get some alcohol in you and I will pleasure you in more ways than that boyfriend of yours could ever do."

"Rory?" I ask for her permission to hit Logan, he was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Calm down," Rory tells me grabbing my hand. "I choose you," Rory whispers in my ear. "He's just a rich jerk."

"Thanks," I say as I kiss her.

I really didn't want to get kicked out of Yale for fighting some arrogant jackass.

"So Jess," Colin starts. "What's your last name? What do your parents do?"

"Mariano," I answer. "And I live with my Uncle and his family."

"Hmm Uncle," Colin muses. "And what does he do?"

"He owns a diner," I tell him and I could see him mentally cringe.

"So you're not rich?" He asks me bluntly.

"No," I answer. "We actually earn our money... you know… work for it."

"Jess," Rory says squeezing my hand.

"And what about you Rory?" Logan asks. "Are you poor like Jess?"

"Yes," Rory answers.

"What's your last name?" Colin asks her intrigued.

"Gilmore," Rory answers.

"Finn," Logan scolds. "You didn't warn us that we were in the presence of the Gilmore-Hayden child that screwed up so many lives."

"Hey," I protest. "Don't say that to her."

"It's the truth," Colin answers. "Christopher Hayden was bound for Princeton, whilst Lorelai Gilmore was bound for Yale."

"How do you even know about this?" Rory asks them confused.

"Sex education," Colin answers simply.

"What?" Rory asks him confused.

"Your parents," Colin explains. "There… misfortune was a gain to the rest of society."

"What?" Rory asks still confused.

"When you get to that certain age," Logan tells her. "Our parents, or grandparents tell us- '_You don't want to end up like Lorelai Gilmore or Christopher Hayden, sixteen years old with a baby, you will not destroy our family's future like that, do that and we will disown you'_."

"So no mention of sex itself?" I ask them. "Well that's wise."

"That's what they say?" Rory asks them confused. "What everyone says?"

"Yes," Colin answers. "Well there are some variations, in the version I was told you were a twin… you don't have a sister around here do you?"

"No," Rory answers. "I can't believe this."

"Hey don't blame us," Logan defends. "We didn't make up the story."

"And when you think about it," Colin supplies. "It's not a story, its real life."

"Enough," Finn tells them.

"Okay," Logan says changing the subject. "What's your major Rory?"

"Journalism," Rory answers calming herself down.

"You on the paper?" Logan asks her.

"We both are," Rory says including me.

"Good," Logan replies. "So am I."

"You?" Rory questions. "Why?"

"Because his dad is Mitchum Huntzberger," Colin supplies.

"Really?" Rory questions.

"Yeah," Logan answers.

"Who's that?" I ask him.

"Never you mind," Logan tells me. "So Rory if we go out, it's traditional to present your girlfriend to the parents."

"I'm not going out with you just to meet Mitchum Huntzberger," Rory replies.

"Why not?" Colin asks. "People have gone out with him for less, at least you would be getting something out of it."

"I'm with Jess," Rory explains to them. "I love him and I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"But he's not like us Rory," Logan supplies. "He's not good enough for you."

"He's better than you any day," Rory yells back.

"Ooh getting defensive," Colin says. "Oh Stephanie, excuse me I'm going to get some _'you've been away on a yacht forever and now you're back'_ sex."

"Good luck mate," Finn tells him, getting drunker by the minute.

"He's better than me," Logan scoffs. "How? Name three things."

"He got into Yale by himself, he didn't pay his way in," Rory tells him.

"She's got you there mate," Finn tells him.

"That's one," Logan says. "I bet I have more friends than him."

"Well Jess isn't a very social person," Rory replies.

"That's one all," Logan tells her. "Just admit it, you're not going to be able to make it to three, so go out with me now," Logan suggests grabbing her hand. "Why should we waste time?"

"Let go of her," I warn Logan standing up.

"Make me," Logan states letting go of Rory's hand and standing up also.

"Jess, don't," Rory pleads me.

"Yeah," Finn agrees. "I wouldn't fight Jess."

"And why's that?" Logan asks him.

"Because he will kick your ass," Finn replies amused. "Wait a minute that would be fun to see, go ahead mate."

"Fine," Logan relents sitting back down. "You win this round."

"Come on Jess," Rory tells me. "Let's just leave."

"Gladly," I spat at Logan and grabbed Rory's hand. "You stay away from her," I warn him.

"You can't watch her all day," Logan tells me. "When you turn your back on her I'll be there."

"Come on Jess," Rory says pulling me out of the pub. "So that was Finn's roommates?" Rory asks me.

"Yeah," I reply calming myself down. "They are worse than Finn, never did I think that would be possible."

"I know," Rory replies. "And don't worry about Logan, he's a jerk, I would never fall for him."

"Good," I tell Rory as I kiss her.

"So?" Rory asks me.

"So what?" I reply.

"Where are you sleeping tonight?" Rory asks me.

"I'm not sleeping anywhere near Logan," I tell her. "He'd probably try and kill me in my sleep."

"So you'd rather Paris over Logan?" Rory asks me.

"Any day," I tell her. "He thinks that he's better than everyone else."

"I proud of you, you know," Rory tells me.

"Why?" I ask her confused.

"You didn't jump Logan," Rory tells me. "If it was a year ago and Dean said something you would kill him… and we weren't even going out then."

"Don't mention Dean," I tell Rory. "Please."

"I'm sorry," She replies. "Sometimes I just forget what he did to you."

"Please?" I plead her.

"Sorry," Rory repeats.

"It's okay," I tell her.

"So you're not over it yet?" Rory asks me nervously.

"I will never forget what Dean did to me," I tell her. "A part of me wants to get revenge, but I know that would do no good. My life's good and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that."

"Even knocking some sense into Logan?" Rory asks me.

"Even that," I tell her.

"But I hate that guy," Rory replies pouting. "Do it for me Jess, please."

"Rory," I warn her. "I'm not going to kill him."

"I didn't say kill," Rory replies. "Just severely disfigure… ooh, ooh and cut out his tongue."

"Rory, Logan is Finn's friend," I tell her. "And Finn turned out alright, so there is hope for Logan yet."

"What about Colin?" Rory asks me.

"No," I tell her as I put my arm around her and steer her to her dorm. "Colin's long gone."

* * *

**A/N- Once again sorry for the wait, updates should definitely come quicker this time round**

**Review**


	13. Kick Ass Party

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Berserker Nightwitch, Curley-Q, kathi-ryn, kylielink, mittoots79, mizskitles220, Polly, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

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**

* * *

**It was about two weeks after Logan and Colin arrived that I noticed it. It was only little things at first. A smile, a gesture, but now, nearing four weeks, it was becoming painfully obvious. Rory, my girlfriend, was falling for Logan. I didn't blame her… yet, she didn't even seem to notice, but I did. A big tip off was when she got overly affectionate with me just after she told me a story about him.

"Jess, Jess," Rory says to me, trying to snap me out of my thoughts. "You're not even listening to me, are you?"

"No, sorry," I told her giving her my full attention. "Go ahead."

"So I was at the coffee cart, near the library," Rory continues. "And Logan appears from behind the cart and asks me what I would like, turns out that he got a job there."

"Really?" I ask her only half interested. I remembered now why I had tuned her out. All I ever heard these days were stories about Logan. "I doubt he actually has a job there," I tell her.

"What do you mean?" Rory asks me genuinely confused.

"It's Logan," I tell her. "He hates manual labor for starters… he's probably quit by now, or got fired."

I didn't dare mention that he only took the job so that Rory would think that he had changed. I didn't dare mention anything remotely bad about Logan, as Rory got defensive, and it usually ended with me back in my dorm… Logan's dorm.

"Jess, Jess," Rory says again. "You keep spacing out on me… you've been doing it a lot lately."

"I'm sorry," I apologize again. "Just a lot on my mind."

"Okay," Rory replies confused.

"You mind if we just lay here in silence?" I ask her.

"Sure," Rory replies surprised. I must admit I would be surprised too. I had stopped getting physical with Rory within the last week, as every time we did it I couldn't help but think that Rory was imagining Logan instead of me.

I ignored it at first, their connection. I just pinned it down to Logan being a jerk, but his plan was working and soon Rory was eating out of his palm. So now I have a dilemma, I don't want to let Rory go, but I'm afraid that she will go either way. She likes Logan, I know that she doesn't love him like she loves me, but still.

Would she grow to love him?

Would I be able to let her go without killing Logan in the process?

If I did let her go… would she ever come back? In a way he had a lot more to offer her then me. Money, connections… the sky's the limit. She could do great things with him. But what about me? Am I condemning her to a middle class life? Would I ever become worthy of Rory Gilmore? Sure I had a share in a publishing house, and I was writing a book. But is that enough, no, it would never be enough. Maybe I should let her go, make her own mistakes.

I was interrupted by Rory mumbling an 'I'm bored' before she kissed me. The kiss started out sweet, but quickly escalated. And it was then that I decided I would stay with her. I'd never let her out of my sights if that's what it took.

"What happened to quiet time?" I ask her as I roll on top of her.

"I can be quiet," She promises me.

"Yeah, sure," I reply, but kiss her back anyway.

* * *

Another week passed and it seemed that Rory and I were back to normal. The talk of Logan got less and for that I was pleased. Maybe I had just overreacted, yeah that must be it.

"Jess?" Rory asks me from her bed.

"Yeah," I reply.

"What do I wear?" She asks me.

"No idea," I tell her. Logan and his crew were hosting another party, in our dorm. This time I believe the theme was _'I remember Marty, he makes a kick ass margarita'_. Logan ran into him when he was 'flirting' with Rory and so that was to become the theme of the party. "Ask Marty," I tell her.

"He's not even going," Rory replies.

"Figures," I mumble getting up and walking over to Rory's wardrobe. Logan was having a party about Marty yet he wasn't invited. The only reason I was invited was because of Finn, and I guess Rory. I don't even think living in the same dorm as them constitutes me getting an invitation to the party. "Here," I say throwing Rory her denim mini and a blue top.

"Perfect Jess," Rory says changing. "You sure you're not gay?"

"If only it was that simple," I mumble.

"What?" Rory asks confused.

"I said no," I tell her.

"Good because otherwise I couldn't do this," Rory says as she comes over and kisses me.

"Rory," I tell her breaking the kiss. "We're going to be late."

"Okay, okay," Rory says dragging me across campus. "Now, no hiding in your room the whole night," Rory tells me once we get there.

"How else am I to protect my bed from unwanted sex?" I ask Rory.

"Let the bed fend for himself," Rory replies as we walk in.

The place was packed, as usual. I spied Finn and walked over to him, Rory followed me.

"Hey," I say to Finn. "You drunk yet?"

"I'm always drunk," Finn replies.

"Not always," I remind him of his sober days.

"Ah but it's easy to give up things when Larry and Curly aren't peer pressuring you," Finn replies.

"You are aware that their names are Logan and Colin?" I ask him.

"You got proof?" Finn asks me.

"You're drunk," I tell him. "Drunker than usual."

"I'm going to scope out the party," Rory tells me.

"I'll be here," I say as I kiss her and she disappears in the crowd.

"The Three Stooges," Finn muses out loud.

"Doesn't that make you Moe?" I ask him.

"No," Finn answers. "I have better hair than Moe."

"Of course," I reply. "So where are Larry and Curly?"

"Their names are Logan and Colin," Finn tells me pointedly. "And Colin is somewhere with Stephanie, and Logan is… no idea where."

"Good," I reply.

"Why's that good?" Finn asks me.

"No reason," I reply quickly. "So where's Marty?"

"Who?" Finn asks me.

"Kick ass margarita guy," I tell him.

"Oh yes," Finn says excitedly. "We hired him as the bartender."

"The party's named after him," I tell Finn.

"I know," Finn replies. "And Logan suggested that he should be bartending at his own party."

"So Marty?" I ask him again.

"Bar's that way," Finn tells me pointing in its general direction.

"Thanks," I mutter as I make my way over to the bar. "Marty."

"What can I get you Jess?" Marty asks me.

"You know where Rory is?" I ask him.

"She was here for a little while," Marty tells me. "She had a few shots of tequila and was getting tipsy, so I sent her on her way."

"Thanks," I tell him and then make my way back into the crowd.

Rory was drinking, she only drank when something was on her mind… something that she couldn't figure out. I searched everywhere for her, even called her cell, no answer. I must have circled the party five times before I called Paris, but she hadn't heard from her either. I called home, Stars Hollow, Rory loves to drink and dial, maybe they had heard from her.

"Hello?" Lorelai answers.

"Hey it's Jess," I tell her.

"Hey Jess, you are aware that Rory's drunk, well getting on her way to being drunk, aren't you?" Lorelai asks me.

"She's been officially cut off," I tell Lorelai. "So she called?"

"Yeah," Lorelai answers. "Five minutes ago I'd say."

"Well I kind of lost her," I say sheepishly to Lorelai. "Did she mention anything, anyone?"

"Well there was some mumbling," Lorelai replies.

"Please remember," I plead Lorelai.

"Okay, okay," Lorelai tells me. "She mentioned something about Larry, or a Lagoon, or something. Does that help?"

Larry? I thought about it. Lagoon… Logan, seriously.

"Yeah thanks," I tell Lorelai as I quickly hang up the phone.

"Where's Logan?" I ask Finn.

"Ah Larry?" Finn asks me. "He left with some brunette, she looked a little like Rory actually."

That's all I needed to hear. I made my way out of the dorm, ready to search the whole campus for her, but it wasn't needed. Rory and Logan were right across the hall, a few feet from me. I shouldn't have been worried, should I? Rory would never do anything to ruin our relationship… except for kiss Logan. That's right they may have been only a few feet away, but they were kissing and it wasn't a friendly kiss either.

"Hey," Finn says running into my back. "Mate what are you doing?... Ah, Logan scoring some action."

And that did it. Rory's head shot up, her eyes locked with mine.

"Jess?" She asks me.

It was at that point that I knew she wasn't drunk, but I wished that she was, maybe then I could forget this.

"Jess?" She asks me again.

I was frozen solid. Contemplating whether to hear her out and forgive her, or to run and let her go… forever.

"Jess," Rory says coming up to me. "I didn't mean to… it didn't mean anything… I was drinking tequila and you know how I get when I drink that."

Yes, I did know and that is why she avoided the stuff. She knew that she got overly flirtatious after only a couple of shots, she knew better than to drink the stuff.

"Jess," Logan begins. "It didn't mean anything, it's just a kiss."

"Finn," I hiss. "Take him away before I do something stupid."

Finn came up and got Logan, he took him back into the dorm.

"Jess," Rory asks me, touching my shoulder. I flinch and step back. "Jess?"

"I need to be alone," I tell her, not making eye contact. She didn't even apologize for her actions and that is how I knew that she didn't regret it.

"Jess?" Rory asks again.

"Don't follow me," I warn her as I walk away from her.

I knew that I wasn't in the best of moods and I knew that if I didn't go somewhere 'safe' I would do something that I would regret, and that's how I found myself out the front of the science building. I loved coming here to think, the astronomy section was my favorite. As a boy I used to want to be an astronaut, I figured that it was the easiest way to get away from New York, away from my crappy life.

So here I sat, in the scaled to size rocket. It was my escape. I had a lot to think about… a lot to decide.

I knew that Rory liked Logan and that Logan liked Rory. I also knew that Rory loved me and that I loved Rory. But would love be enough to surpass lust? It should be.

But there were so many unanswered questions. Would I trust her alone with anyone else? Would I start getting all possessive like Dean did? Would I become Dean? I didn't want to become Dean that much I knew.

Actually I knew a lot. I had gone through all the outcomes weeks ago when I first noticed Rory's 'crush' on Logan. I had figured out a contingency plan. A plan that would be the best for all parties involved. A plan that would ultimately be the best for Rory and I. But I never planned on Logan and Rory actually kissing, so there was one question I had to answer first… could I forgive Rory?

And I already knew the answer to that, it was yes, but it would come at a cost to both of us. But it is the only way. I had made the mental lists and decided that this was the best way for everyone involved. I got up from the rocket and set out to find Rory.

* * *

**A/N- Review **


	14. Going Home?

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Berserker Nightwitch, bluedancer, Curley-Q, I-luv-jess-mariano, Jeremy Shane, K-Marie-M, kathi-ryn, kylielink, Mallikad, mittoots79, mizskitles220, Mr. Norrel, musicchica10, Oy With The Poodles Already!, rj29, seebear, smartbookworm, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not mine**

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* * *

**I was on my way to Rory's dorm when I was intercepted by Finn.

"Jess," Finn says stopping me by holding my shoulders. "Whatever you're doing don't do it."

"Let me pass Finn," I say annoyed.

"It wasn't Logan's fault," Finn defends. "He doesn't even like Rory, he was just playing around with you… messing with you."

"Really?" I ask him sarcastically. "And that's supposed to alter my decision making how?"

"You can't kill Logan," Finn explains. "I won't let you do it."

"I can do whatever I want," I tell him. "Wait, what? I'm not going after Logan."

"You're not?" Finn asks me confused as he lets me go.

"No I'm not," I reply.

"Good," Finn says. "Because even know Logan can be an ass he's also a good person. He wouldn't intentionally break you two up… it takes two to tango."

"I know," I reply. I knew that Rory had an equal part in the kissing as Logan did.

"So you're not going to kill Logan?" Finn asks me again.

"No," I tell him.

"Do you mind me asking what you are going to do?" Finn asks me.

"I'm going to see Rory," I answer as I push past him.

"Don't be too hard," I hear Finn say behind me. "And don't do something that you will regret."

I knew what I was doing… but would I regret it. I never thought of it from that perspective before. There were so many factors that would be out of my control. Maybe something would go wrong… maybe my plan wasn't the best for Rory and me. I was starting to doubt myself and I hated it.

So here I stood outside Rory's door… confused.

I knocked anyway, nothing was going to get resolved with me having an internal battle with myself outside her dorm.

"Jess," Paris answered eyeing me suspiciously.

"Can I see Rory?" I ask her.

"I guess," Paris says stepping aside. "If you did… do anything to hurt her Jess."

"I'll be far away from you," I tell her as I walk past her and knock on Rory's door, I heard a faint come in, and I walked in.

One problem though, I still had no idea what I was going to do.

"Jess," Rory says to me as I walk into the room. I could tell that she had been crying and I hated that.

"Rory," I say sitting on the edge of her bed. "You know I love you right?"

"I know," Rory replies sitting up getting closer to me. "I love you too."

"Good," I tell her. "This makes what I have to say so much easier."

"Jess?" She asks me nervously.

I had decided to go back to my original plan… at least I had thought it through at one stage.

"I'm leaving," I tell her.

"What? No," Rory says as her face falls. "You can't Jess… please don't move to Texas."

"I'm not going to Texas," I reply. "I'm going back home."

"Back home?" Rory questions confused. "You're going back to New York?"

"I've never called New York home," I tell her. "I'm going back to Stars Hollow."

"What about Yale?" Rory asks me now crying. "You can't drop out."

"I'm not dropping out," I tell her. "I will be living back home… at our house with Luke and Lorelai, and I will be driving down to Yale for my classes."

"But why Jess?" Rory asks me. "It was a mistake, it won't happen again."

"Rory," I tell her. "You haven't even apologized, you know that, also not once have you said that you didn't like Logan."

"Fine," Rory relents. "I may have a slight crush on Logan, and I may have initiated the kiss… but it was a mistake, I love you Jess, if I could take it all back then I would."

"Do you still like Logan?" I ask her.

"Jess," Rory pleads me.

"It's a simple question," I tell her.

"Yes, but-" Rory begins, but I cut her off.

"I'm doing this for us Rory," I tell her.

"That doesn't even make sense," Rory replies.

"Hear me out," I tell her. "Back when I was living in New York I had a few casual relationships as you know, I've experienced… other women. You haven't had that yet. You went from a destructive relationship with Dean… to us. Don't tell me that you've never thought about what it would be like be with another man."

"I'm not going to lie, but Jess…" Rory begins. "You can't be serious. I don't need to experience that stuff, I'm happy with you."

"Say we stay together… no break," I tell Rory. "Do you know what's going to happen? We're going to be pushing fifty and you're going to be complaining about all the things that you missed out on… all the what if's."

"Jess," Rory replies.

"Tell me I'm wrong," I say. "You need to do this Rory."

"What about us?" Rory asks me. "I don't want to give up on us."

"I'm willing to wait," I tell her as I brush a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I love you Rory and there is no doubt in my mind that you are the one I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with. When you're ready, when you've experienced all those things that I know you've been thinking about, I will be waiting for you. And as much as I don't want to let you go, as much as I would rather be here proposing to you… this is for the best. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"I guess," Rory answers. "But why can't you just propose to me Jess, I'll say yes, I promise that I will."

"I'm not proposing to you… the timing's not right," I tell her. "Rory when you think of Logan what do you think?"

"I don't know," She replies not meeting my eyes. "He's just different… I don't know why I'm drawn to him and I wish that I wasn't. Logan's a playboy, my brain's telling me to stay away, but my body doesn't want to."

"Rory relax," I tell her as I grab her hand. "See you are having doubts, well not doubts, but… I know that you love me Rory, and I'm not leaving your life I will be here for you always, but I have to go," I finish standing up and letting go of her hand.

"Jess," Rory says standing up and kissing me one last time, it was loving yet passionate. "I'm sorry."

"Just be careful Rory," I tell her. "And remember I'll wait a whole lifetime for you."

I left. I went to my dorm and packed my things, I wasn't coming back. I chucked it all in my car and left.

* * *

I had been driving all night and it was now well into the morning. I wasn't going to Stars Hollow…yet. I was starting to regret my decision… well not regret exactly, more like blaming myself for being such an idiot. I can't believe I let her go, the love of my life, but then again if I never let her go then I wouldn't be heading to where I was heading... and no it wasn't the Grand Canyon.

It was nearing ten o'clock when my phone rang. I glance at it and noticed that it was the home phone, the home phone that I bugged a while back. Yeah I bugged the home phone in Stars Hollow, I had no idea why, I was just bored one day. Anyway I rigged it up so that it would call my cell whenever they got an incoming call. I answered it. I could listen in and they wouldn't be able to hear me.

"Mom?" Rory asks and my heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice, I was so stupid to let her go.

"Yeah babe," Lorelai replies. "What's going on?"

"Is Jess there?" Rory asks sadly.

"No," Lorelai replies confused. "Why would Jess be here, he goes to Yale with you... remember?"

"We…" Rory began. "We broke up."

"What?" Lorelai asks confused. "Rory honey, that's not funny."

"I'm telling the truth," Rory tells her crying.

"Oh Rory," Lorelai says concerned. "What happened?"

"It was all my fault," Rory sobbed into the phone. "I… I…"

"You what?" Lorelai asks her softly.

"I kissed Logan and Jess caught me," Rory tells her mother.

"Rory how could you?" Lorelai asks her. "How could you do that to Jess?"

"I don't know," Rory replies. "But Jess, he understands, he broke up with me so that I could experience life… he said that he would wait for me."

"And how are you?" Lorelai asks her.

"Sad," Rory replies. "Lonely… and now worried."

"Why are you worried?" Lorelai asks her confused.

"Jess should be there," Rory explains. "Finn called me and told me that Jess cleaned out his dorm room last night. He said he was heading back home, back to Stars Hollow."

"Oh okay," Lorelai responds concerned. "Umm, how about I call him when you hang up, see that he's alright."

"Please," Rory tells her. "I just want him to be safe… he didn't deserve any of this mom. Why do I have to experience life? Jess is my life, without him…"

"Okay," Lorelai says cutting her off. "How about I call Jess. Get his point of view on all of this and then I'll call you back. Maybe I can help you better if I know both sides of the story."

"Okay," Rory replies sadly. "I hope that he's alright, he can do some pretty stupid things when he is angry."

"Alright hun, bye," Lorelai tells her daughter and then hangs up to dial my number.

I disconnect the call and it rings back through.

"Hello," I answer.

"Jess," Lorelai says relieved. "Thank god that you're alright… now where the hell are you?"

"Not in Connecticut," I reply.

"And what are you doing?" Lorelai asks me.

"Just clearing my head," I tell her. "I'll be back in the Hollow soon enough."

"Okay, fine," Lorelai relents. "So how are you? Really?"

"I'm thinking that I just made the biggest mistake of my life," I tell her.

"And why did you break up with Rory?" Lorelai asks. "I heard that it was something to do with life experiences."

"Yeah," I answer. "Rory's naive when it comes to life in general."

"I would agree," Lorelai replies. "And?"

"And if she stays with me she will always have regrets," I explain. "I need her to make her own mistakes. I need her to realize that I am the only guy for her."

"And you?" Lorelai asks me.

"Rory's my soul mate," I tell her. "And as I told Rory I will wait for her."

"Okay," Lorelai replies. "So when can I see you?"

"The day after tomorrow at the earliest," I say. "And a week at the most."

"A week?" Lorelai questions me. "Where are you Jess?"

"I'm still in the states," I reassure her.

"Jess, are you going to do something stupid?" Lorelai asks me concerned.

"Well that all depends," I reply.

"Depends on what?" Lorelai asks me.

"It all depends on how much I've changed," I explain to her. "Maybe all this was a show… maybe I haven't changed at all."

"And this little road trip will?" Lorelai prompts me.

"My destination will tell me if I really have changed," I answer.

"Jess," Lorelai pleads. "Tell me where you are going… no please just turn around now and come back home."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that," I tell Lorelai. "I'll see you soon… hopefully."

"Jess, wait-" Lorelai pleads but I hang up the phone. She calls back, so I turn off my phone, I needed a clear head for this anyway.

I speed most of the night, mainly in anger. I'd have time to enjoy the scenery on my way home. But because of my speeding I was a good four hours ahead of schedule, either that or I estimated wrong. Either way I had finally entered the state that my destination was within and right there on the sign told me how many miles I had to go…

_Welcome to Illinois, The Prairie State- Chicago 180 miles. _

_

* * *

_**A/N- I will say now that Rory and Jess will end up together, so don't worry**

**Review **


	15. Chicago, Lake View Hospital

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Curley-Q, Jeremy Shane, K-Marie-M, kathi-ryn, kobrakai-kate, kylielink, Mallikad, mizskitles220, musicchica10, Polly, rj29, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Do not own**

**Enjoy**

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* * *

**I had hit Chicago. Population just under three million and I was looking for one person in particular. So I did the only thing I could think of, I grabbed a phonebook and started dialing. It mightn't be the quickest way to find someone, but it was the best way to get results.

I was thirty names through and I had nothing. But then at thirty-one I got lucky, I found their Uncle and he gave me the name and address I was after. I wasted no time. I brought a map of Chicago and headed to their house. I stopped out the front, across the street.

It was a modest house, white picket fence, American flag out the front. I hated that they had all that, but then again my life is… was perfect. If I wasn't an idiot then I wouldn't even be here. I watched the house, all was silent, I would guess that no-one was home but there was a car in the driveway.

Someone left the house. I didn't recognize them first, but then it hit me. I was filled with rage. I made a move to get out of the car, but I stopped myself. I grabbed out my phone and dialed a familiar number quickly.

"Hello?" They answer.

"Luke," I tell him trying to calm down my anger, but there was something else in my voice too… it was fear.

"Jess?" Luke asks me. "Where are you?"

"Chicago," I answer quickly.

"Chicago… why would you be in Chicago?" Luke asks over the phone. "Wait Dean… Jess you stay away from him."

"I can see him," I confess to Luke. "I want revenge for what he did to me… I want to hurt him so bad."

**(A/N- If you don't know or can't remember what Dean did to Jess- he attacked Jess on the bridge in SH and left him for dead- It's chapter six of 'The Ripple Effect')**

"And?" Luke prompts.

"I need you to tell me what to do," I reply. "Luke what do I do?"

"What Dean did to you," Luke begins. "Is something that you have to live with your whole life… I can't tell you what to do Jess, you have to figure it out by yourself."

"But Luke," I plead him.

"Be careful Jess," Luke says and then hangs up the phone.

"Great," I mumble as I threw my phone down onto the seat.

I had calmed down a little and I turned my attention back to Dean. I watched him all day, he mowed the lawn, he washed the car, trimmed the trees, painted the porch rail… the list went on. Either he was sucking up or he was forced to do these chores.

He went back inside at dusk, but left not long later with a duffle bag. He walked down the street and I followed him in my car. He stopped at a bus stop and got on the bus that pulled up. I followed the bus, waiting for Dean to get off. When he did I was surprised, we had left the city centre, I was fairly sure of that. But it was the sign that really got me… _Lake View Hospital,_ and it wasn't a normal hospital, it was a mental institution… or so it appeared.

I was confused, a million questions running through my head at once. What was Dean doing there? Was he a patient? Did his parents force him to go? I couldn't handle all these questions. I left the hospital and found a hotel, I would figure all this out in the morning.

I didn't sleep much that night. I got up and went to the hospital at a respectable hour. I parked and nervously walked in the building.

"Can I help you?" A woman asks from behind the desk.

"Umm sure," I say walking over to her. "What exactly is this place?"

"It's a mental health institution," The lady explains. "So basically we have those who are unstable, those who just need a little help, and those who have suffered mentally from an accident or incident. We range from disorders as simple as obsessive compulsive disorder to more serious ones such as schizophrenia."

"Oh," I reply slightly shocked. "Umm what would I do if I knew someone that was staying here?"

"Give me their name and I'll tell you if they are allowed to have visitors," The lady explains.

"Ah," I say slightly nervously, I hadn't said his full name out loud in a while. "Dean Forrester."

"Okay," The lady replies typing it into her computer. "It says here that all visitors must pass through his doctor first. Do you wish to see him?"

"Sure," I answer uneasily. I had come all this way, and now with this revelation I needed to know what was going on with Dean.

She put a call through to the doctor and I took a seat. Not long later a man barely older than myself greeted me.

"I'm Dean's doctor," They tell me shaking my hand. "You can call be Rob."

"Okay Rob," I reply standing up.

"So how do you know Dean?" Rob asks me as we head towards the elevator.

"We used to live in the same town," I answer simply.

"Stars Hollow right," Rob says to me excitedly.

"Yeah," I answer.

"And who might you be?" Rob asks me. "I've heard so much about the going-ons there."

"Umm," I say shifting uneasily. "I'm Jess… Jess Mariano."

"Oh," Rob replies gravely.

"What?" I ask him as we step into the elevator.

"Dean's has these delusions," Rob tells me. "One being that he is bad boy Jess Mariano."

"Umm okay," I say trying to wrap my head around it all. "But yesterday, I saw him doing chores at his house."

"Ah yes," Rob replies getting off on floor five and walking into his office. "Sunday is Dean's 'special day', if you will, he's normal on Sunday's. We don't know why, but every Sunday there is no sign of any mental health issues."

"Okay," I reply slightly confused.

"So you really are Jess Mariano?" Rob asks me surprised. "I thought that you were made up until Dean's parents told me that you were real."

"Yeah I'm real," I reply.

"So Jess do you have any idea why Dean wants to be you?" Rob asks me. "Except on Sunday's of course."

"I think I know why," I reply. "See I have… had this girlfriend."

"Rory Gilmore?" Rob asks excitedly.

"Yeah," I answer. "Anyway she was Dean's girlfriend before I moved to town."

"Yes, yes," Rob rejoices. "This makes sense. You got the girl in the end… Dean's girl, so by him being you he gets the girl in the end. This is a big breakthrough Jess… Any idea about the Sunday thing?"

"Yes," I answer as I look down at my hands, not meeting his eyes. "That was the day Dean… attacked me and left me for dead."

"Oh I'm sorry Jess," Rob told me sincerely. "But this is all making sense, he reverts back to Dean on Sunday's because he doesn't want to go through that."

"Yeah," I scoff. "He gets to revert back to avoid the pain, but I couldn't… I felt every punch, I felt my arm break, I felt my ribs break… but no, Dean gets to skip it. He can't be me just for the good things, he has to have the bad as well. The countless years of abuse and neglect I suffered as a child… I worked hard to have a good life."

"Jess," Rob says soothingly. "You don't exactly seem stable yourself."

"I'm fine," I tell him. "Well apart from the fact that I let the love of my life go… I'm fine."

"Rory?" Rob asks me.

"Yeah," I answer. "I let her go… it was for the best."

"You let her go?" Rob asks. "From Dean's accounts you are madly in love."

"We are," I answer. "And I said that I would wait for her… but what if she doesn't come back?"

"Why'd you come here?" Rob asks me.

"Truthfully?" I ask him and he nods his head. "I wanted revenge… I wanted to do to Dean what he did to me, but…"

"But what?" Rob prompts me.

"I couldn't do it," I answer. "And I realized that before I knew that he was a patient here."

"Well that's good Jess," Rob tells me. "I'm wondering…"

"Wondering what?" I ask him.

"I was wondering if you were up to seeing Dean?" Rob asks me. "With these new revelations maybe Dean seeing the real Jess will snap him out of it… or maybe you'll know what to say to him… maybe tell him why he doesn't want to be you."

"Sure," I reply. "Maybe I can get some answers myself. How long has he been here?" I ask Rob as he leads me out of his office and down the long hallway.

"Almost a year," Rob answers. "He was admitted a few months after he moved back here from Stars Hollow."

A year, I thought. The best year of my life, it was had to believe that Dean had spent that year here. Granted I did hate the guy, but I wouldn't force this on anyone.

"Here we go," Rob says stopping outside a door. "This is the recreation room, so there will be a lot of other patients in their too. Now there is a guard stationed at this door, so if things get violent or you just want to leave, let them know."

"Sure," I answer as I got the courage and opened up the door.

I searched the room and found Dean sitting by himself, he was playing poker by the looks of it. I approached him from behind, hoping to pick up on his conversation.

"Come on Luke?" Dean asks. "You're really going to fold?... No that was not sarcastic… my tones are not the same…"

I figured now was a good as time as any. I moved around him slowly and sat down.

"Hey Dean," I said to him picking up Luke's cards.

"Jess?" Dean questions. "But I'm Jess?"

"There can't be two of us," I tell him.

"Orange, orange, orange," Dean repeats. "I don't like orange."

"I'm Jess Mariano," I tell him. "And you are?"

"D… Dean," Dean answers. "We've met before Jess."

"I need to tell you something," I say to Dean almost whispering. "I lost Rory, we broke up."

"You did?" Dean asks his mood brightening. "Rory, Rory, Rory's not with Jess anymore... but if I'm Jess than that means… no, no I'm Dean."

"Dean?" I ask cautiously. "Do you remember what you did to me?"

"Orange, orange, orange," Dean repeats again.

"That Sunday night?" I ask him again. "On the bridge."

"Bridge, bridge, Bracebridge," Dean says. "Bracebridge dinner, you were flirting with Rory… she was flirting back. I, I, I went so angry, sad, angry, sangry. I don't know what happened, happened, happened. It was wrong, so wrong. I snapped. Jess was cocky, he loved to mess with me, did you know that Lorelai?"

"No I didn't," I answer.

"Well he did," Dean explains. "I went to the bridge to kill him that night, but I didn't, couldn't, didn't. By, by, by the time I realized what I was doing, how wrong it was, it was too late. Jess was bloody and unconscious on the bridge. I panicked and left him there. I regretted it, everyday. I was just trying to hold on to something, Rory, that was already gone."

"I… I…" I falter. "I forgive you Dean."

"Really?" Dean asks his eyes pleading.

"Sure," I reply. "But you have to do one thing for me."

"Anything," Dean says.

"You have to stop being me," I tell him.

"But Jess gets the girl in the end," Dean tells me. "But Jess, Jess, Jess forgives Dean. Jess must forgive Dean."

"I do forgive you," I tell him again. "There's no need to hide yourself as me anymore."

"No, no, no," Dean says shaking his head. "You have everything."

"I don't have everything," I explain. "I grew up in a small apartment with my mother… well that's when she was actually there, and when she was there the majority of the time she had her boyfriend around. Her boyfriends beat me Dean and by the time I was old enough I would prefer to spend the nights outside, even know if was below freezing… anything was better than the abuse I suffered."

"Seventeen years I had to put up with the abuse and neglect," I continued. "My life was hard, I was forced to grow up too fast. I never got to play with toy trucks or play with friends… I had no friends, no one wanted to hang around me. I grew up bitter Dean, hating the world, nothing ever went my way… until I went to Stars Hollow that is. Sure the place seemed like hell, especially compared to the city, but I found something there that I never thought I would find."

"Rory?" Dean asks me.

"No," I answer. "A family… a loving and caring family. Luke was always there for me, even know I pushed him away every chance I got. Lorelai became like a mother to me, I never really had a mother… well I did, but deep down I knew that Liz wasn't a mother to me, she never cared for me. And then there's Rory, she was my friend, and I'll admit that I had feelings for her… hell I loved her from the first moment I saw her. She was an angel, but she was already taken."

"I tried to stay her friend," I tell him. "But I couldn't do that. I flirted with her every chance I got. I loved seeing her blush, it was so cute. But you were still her boyfriend, and even know you would have broken up anyway, I'm sorry for coming in between you. But you must understand Dean, what you did that night… at the bridge, that wasn't right. And look at us now, we're in the same boat. Both of us loved Rory Gilmore, and we both lost her."

"I'm sorry Jess," Dean says and it caught me off guard. "I'm sorry for attacking you that night and I'm sorry for just leaving you there… I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"Maybe you don't," I tell him. "But I held a grudge against you for so long, and it's not healthy to hold grudges. I was stuck in the past and I really want to move on… you should too."

"I can't," Dean replies suddenly scared.

"You can," I say. "You heard about my world, it's not a good place to be. You have a chance to be someone Dean… I didn't press charges against you because I hoped that you would see your errors and become a better man… Never did I think that you would end up here."

"It's, it's, it's for the best," Dean answers.

"You can get better you know," I tell him. "All you have to do is listen to Rob and be yourself."

"I don't know," Dean replies.

"I forgive you Dean," I tell him again. "And as much as it pains me, and not to mention severely diminishes my reputation, I don't like seeing you here… you're sick Dean."

"I know," Dean replies as my phone rings.

It was home, I answered it and told them to hang on a minute.

"I have to go," I tell Dean. "You just focus on getting better okay… and please remember that I forgive you."

"I'm so sorry Jess," Dean says again. "If I could change anything in my life it would be what I did to you."

"I know," I tell him standing up and putting my hand on his shoulder. "You only need to know one thing," I tell him. "You're Dean Forrester... not Jess Mariano, okay?"

"Okay," Dean answers sadly. "Bye."

"See you," I say. "Just get better Dean, I'm sure that your family wants you back."

And I left. Never would I have imagined this is what I would find when I came to Chicago. I had come purely for revenge, I was angry and I would show no mercy, but I forgave him instead. I never thought that I would be capable of forgiving him, maybe I had changed.

"I heard everything," Rob says to me on my way out. "Thanks so much Jess, I'm sure that we can get Dean better in no time."

"No problem," I tell him pushing the down button on the elevator.

"And Jess," Rob says to me. "Good luck with your problems, you're strong, but don't hesitate to let others help you."

"Sure," I reply as the elevator doors opened. "I'll see you."

"Bye Jess," Rob says as the doors close.

"Hello?" I answered picking up my phone, there was silence. "Luke? Lorelai?"

"What was all that?" Lorelai asks me.

"I'm guessing that he didn't kill Dean then," Luke says to her.

"No, I didn't kill him," I reassure them. "Quite the opposite actually."

"What happened?" Lorelai asks me.

"I'll tell you tomorrow," I promise her. "In person."

"You're coming home?" Luke asks me hopefully.

"I'm leaving right now," I tell them. "I'll be there by the time you wake up."

"Drive safe Jess," Lorelai says happily.

"I will," I reply closing my phone.

* * *

**A/N- Review **


	16. There's No Place Like Home

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **bluedancer, Curley-Q, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, kylielink, mizskitles220, musicchica10, Oy With The Poodles Already!, picky, smartbookworm, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Do not own**

**Enjoy **

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* * *

**"Jess, Jess," Lorelai says excitedly as I pulled into the driveway.

"Hey Lorelai," I reply hugging her. "Hi little one," I say to her stomach rubbing it gently. "How many months now?" I ask her.

"Eight months," Lorelai answers happily.

"Know the sex yet?" I ask her.

"Yes," Lorelai answers. "It's a boy."

"Are you going to call him Lorelai?" I ask her jokingly.

"No," Lorelai replies sadly. "Luke won't let me."

"Jess?" Luke questions coming out of the house. "You're here?"

"Of course," I reply. "I told you that I would be here."

"I know," Luke says. "I just didn't think you would come."

"It's my home," I tell him. "And as much as I hate to admit it, I love it here, it's… safe."

"So how are you doing?" Lorelai asks me as I grab a couple of boxes from the car. "Really?"

I thought about what Dean's doctor Rob had said about me not keeping it all to myself.

"Not good," I admitted to them. "She cheated on me, but I am angrier at myself for letting her go."

"It will work out," Luke says leading me into the house. "It's not like you're never going to see each other again, you both live here."

"Yeah, I guess," I reply walking to my room and dumping my things on the floor.

I heard a soft growl and noticed that I had nearly hit Milo.

"Sorry boy," I say patting him on the head. "I've missed you."

Milo got up on his hind legs and licked me on the face.

"Oh you've grown," I say to him patting him on his side. "I see that you missed me too boy."

Milo responded with a bark and wagged his tail. I went back out to my car and unloaded the rest of my things. Milo was at my side the whole time. When I was finished I collapsed on the couch next to Lorelai.

"So?" Lorelai prompts.

"So what?" I ask her confused.

"Dean," She replies.

"Ah," I tell them. "He's sick… mentally."

"And?" Luke prompts me.

"He's just having delusions from his Stars Hollow life," I explain. "But I think I set him right."

"I guess you have changed then," Luke says to me proudly.

"I guess," I reply still a little unsure. "I wanted my revenge, but seeing him like that… how far gone he was, I just couldn't do anything but forgive him."

"You forgave him?" Lorelai asks me confused.

"Yeah it surprised me too," I reply. "But he apologized and seemed to show remorse, plus I knew that if I forgave him he could finally start getting better."

"I'm proud of you Jess," Luke tells me and I swear that I blushed. I wasn't used to parental figures telling me how proud they were of me, it was a nice change.

"Oh you know what this means," Lorelai says excitedly.

"What?" I ask her confused.

"Time for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon," Lorelai says jumping off the couch and grabbing the DVD's. "It's been way long."

"We are so watching Tabula Rasa," I tell Lorelai grabbing the DVD.

"No Jess," Lorelai pleads. "Not again, I can recite that whole episode by now."

"And let me guess," I say to her. "You want to watch the musical episode again."

"Come on Jess," Lorelai says. "You were singing along to all the songs last time."

"Don't hurt Randy," I quote to her. "Come on Tabula Rasa is a classic episode."

"Hey I'm not wearing any underwear," Lorelai sings a line from one of the songs. "Also a classic."

"That is not a classic," I tell her. "How about I choose an episode, then you choose one and so on?"

"Fine," Lorelai replies and I get up and put the disc in. "I'm sick of this episode, Jess pick a different one."

"I can't help it," I tell her. "I'm addicted… come on, Randy Giles, why not just call me horny Giles or desperate-for-a-shag Giles?"

The phone rings.

"I'll get it," Luke announces getting up for the phone.

"Fine it's a good episode," Lorelai relents.

"I knew that you loved it," I reply. "You wish Luke was Randy Giles, don't you?"

"Oh hey Rory," Luke says into the phone.

"Jess," Lorelai squeals. "I love Luke just the way he is."

"Maybe you could bleach his hair," I suggest to her.

"Yeah he's here," Luke tells Rory. "Okay, hold on a minute. Jess, it's Rory she wants to talk to you… do you want to talk to her?"

"Umm," I say trying to figure out whether or not it would be a good idea. "Sure," I answer getting off the couch. I wanted to get back with her and I couldn't do that without talking to her. "Hello?"

"Jess," Rory says relieved. "Where have you been, I thought that you were going straight home."

"I had some business to take care of," I tell her and then I decided to be honest. "I went to see Dean."

"Oh no Jess," Rory replies disappointed. "Please tell me that you didn't?"

"I didn't," I tell her, but I did notice that she immediately thought the worse. "I forgave him actually… and before you say anything he told me that he was sorry and I could tell that he meant it."

"Well good," Rory replies. "Doesn't mean I have to forgive him for what he did to you though."

"No it doesn't," I tell her. "But it might be good to give him a call sometime, it's not good to dwell on past events."

"Umm sure," Rory replies.

"Well I got to go," I say to her. "Buffy awaits me."

"Okay," Rory replies sadly. "Bye then, I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"I'm fine," I reassure her. "Bye."

"So?" Lorelai questions after I hang up the phone.

"So let's watch Buffy," I tell her sitting down on the couch.

We watched several episodes of Buffy. They were good, but I just couldn't get into them like I used to, there was too much on my mind. Rory, I had only been away from her for two days and I already missed her terribly, but I felt as though to take her back now would be wrong.

She cheated on me, I don't care how you looked at it or from what angle there was no denying that she cheated on me. Then there was my reasoning for breaking up with her, she needed those life experiences, she needed to make her own mistakes. How long would I wait? Should I wait? I loved her so much. I was keeping it together the past two days, but that was only because I was busy, now I was faced with nothing but my own thoughts.

I excused myself and went to my room. I put Milo out and shut the door, I wanted to be alone. I grabbed my ipod and lay down on my bed. I let my thoughts wander again. What was she doing right now? Was she going to go out with Logan? How about Marty? Or any other guy on campus? Did she miss me? Did she constantly think about me? Did I do her a favor? Maybe she was trying to find a way out and I gave her the easy option.

I broke down and I cried. Deep down I knew that I was imagining things, making things worse than they really were, but I cried anyway. Sometimes all you needed was a good cry… even though it wasn't manly, but I will be the first to admit that everyone, no matter what gender, needs to let their emotions out every now and again. I was just pleased that I was crying, the old Jess Mariano would be angry and my anger usually resulted in idiotic behavior, so crying was definitely a welcome change.

"Jess?" Lorelai asks cautiously opening my door, I didn't move… or stop crying.

She came in silently and stood in front of me.

"Lift you head," Lorelai says and I complied. She sat down on the edge of me bed and I rested my head in her lap, it was comforting. "Are you alright?" She asks me running her fingers through my hair. It felt so good and I didn't want her to stop. Never had I experienced this type of loving affection before.

"Is he okay?" Luke asks quietly as he comes into the room and sits behind me. "You alright kid, huh?"

"I will be," I tell them pulling the earphones from my ears, tears still streaming down my face. "My life was good before with Rory, but it's also good now, I just have to adjust. I shouldn't even be complaining compared to my childhood this life is heaven."

"It's alright," Lorelai says. "Just let it all out Jess."

"Yeah," Luke agrees rubbing my arm soothingly. "I know that you believe that fate led you here to Rory, so you must believe that fate will lead you back. Either way you're in fate's hand."

"Or you can make your own fate," Lorelai tells me. "Just remember that we're here for you Jess. We both love you like our own son and you're going to be a great step brother to this little one," Lorelai says patting her stomach with her free hand.

"You think?" I ask her as I turn and lay on my back so that I could face her.

"I know," Lorelai replies still running her fingers through my hair. "With Rory you were so gentle, so loving, and I know when this little one comes into the world you'll be a great help… I'm glad that you're home Jess, I missed you whilst you were at Yale."

"I missed you both too," I tell them, nearly breaking down again. "I just wish Rory was here, friend or lover, I just wish that she was here."

"Hey Jess you remember when Rory went to Washington for the summer?" Luke asks me.

"Yeah," I reply thinking back.

"You remember how much you missed her?" Luke asks me. "But then you remember how much fun you had with Lorelai and me?"

"Sure," I reply. "And going to Friday Night Dinners… I haven't seen Marcia in forever."

"See," Luke tells me. "We're going to have fun, it will be just like that summer."

"I guess," I reply. "It would be good to just enjoy life, not having to worry about anything for a while."

"That's the spirit," Lorelai tells me. "We'll go to dinner at the Grandparents this Friday, how does that sound?"

"Sounds good," I reply.

"And the 24 Hour Dance Marathon is on in a couple of weeks," Lorelai says. "And don't forget that you promised me that I would win the trophy this year."

"I'm sure I didn't promise," I groan.

"Lorelai you're eight months pregnant," Luke tells her. "You're not dancing this close to the due date."

"Come on Luke, please," Lorelai pleads him.

"I don't think that he will let you," I tell her smiling. I missed Luke and Lorelai bickering.

"Well you're going to have to find another dance partner then," Lorelai tells me. "Because I want that trophy."

"Luke please let her dance," I plead him. "I don't want to dance with someone else."

"No," Luke says firmly.

"Come on Luke," I tell him. "You'll be there the whole time, plus they have medics on the sidelines… it would actually be safer dancing compared to just sitting at home."

"I will think about it," Luke replies. "But I'm not making any promises, I want our boy to come out healthy."

"So have you thought of any names?" I ask them. I had been out of the loop. Being away from them, I had neglected them, I had basically forgotten that they were there. It was always in the back of my mind, but with Rory around I didn't need them, but I was wrong, so wrong, I did need them… they were my parents.

"We have a couple," Lorelai answers. "We were thinking maybe… Ryan."

"Ryan," I repeat. "I like that name. Do you have a middle name?"

"Actually we were thinking of Jess as the middle name," Luke tells me.

"Really?" I ask him surprised.

"Yeah," Luke answers. "See your middle name is Lucas after me and we want Ryan to have your name."

"Wow, thanks," I say blown away, I never thought that my name would be worthy of anything. "Hey do you know what I just realized?"

"What?" Lorelai asks still running her fingers through my hair, I knew that she would stop soon and I knew that I would miss the feeling immensely.

"The name Ryan," I explain. "Same letter and same amount of syllables as Rory's name."

"Huh, never thought of it like that," Luke says.

"Hey Ryan," I say moving my hand up to rub Lorelai's stomach. "I'm your big brother Jess. I'm going to teach how to read and how to write in the margins… I will always be there for you buddy."

"Just one more month," Luke sighs putting his arm around Lorelai and resting his hand back on my shoulder. "One more month and we will all be able to hold him. Our life's going to be perfect."

"It's already perfect," Lorelai replies resting her head on Luke's shoulder. She was still running her fingers through my hair, and it was then that I realized I was loved and that Luke and Lorelai were my real parents, no one would ever take those roles away from them. They were going to be great parents, I could tell.

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**A/N- Next chapter will be the Friday Night Dinner. I don't think that Richard or Emily have appeared in this story yet, lol, whoops **

**Review**


	17. Friday Night Dinner

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **bluedancer, Curley-Q, flowerson, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, kylielink, Mallikad, mizskitles220, musicchica10, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Do not own**

**Enjoy**

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**"No, no," I explain to Luke and Lorelai out the front of Richard and Emily's. "Kirk was the one in the middle of the street."

"So who was on the bike?" Lorelai asks confused.

"Babette," I answer.

"This makes no sense," Luke says to me.

"I'll explain it from the beginning… again," I tell them. "So Kirk was standing in the middle of the road, out the front of Stars Hollow Video, and Babette comes around the corner on her bike. Now don't ask me why she was riding a bike because I have no idea. Anyway Babette had one of her garden gnomes in the basket on the front of her bike. Now apparently Kirk has this unusual fear of-"

"Garden gnomes?" Lorelai asks me confused.

"No," I answer. "Top hats, the gnome was wearing a top hat. Anyway, so Kirk sees this gnome wearing a top hat and he freaks out. He was in the middle of the road and he panicked, and ran out in front of a car coming the other way. Now Gypsy was driving the car and she must have seen this as her chance to injure Kirk and not be blamed for it, so she sped up. Kirk then believed that he had superpowers and tried to stop the car with his mind, which obviously didn't work."

"Does this story have an end?" Luke asks me impatiently. "Because no one died obviously."

"Yeah, so I was there watching the whole thing," I explain. "And Kirk was about to get hit by the car, so I run out and push him out of the way. Then it clicks in Gypsy's head that she is about to hit me with her car, so she swerves in front of Babette and puts her foot on the brake. She eventually comes to a stop, but not before hitting Babette's bike."

"Oh my god Babette," Lorelai says concerned.

"Is fine," I tell her. "The gnome on the other hand… well he died."

"When did all this happen?" Luke asks confused.

"Today," I answer. "Just after lunch."

"And that is why Taylor is putting in a roundabout?" Luke asks me confused.

"And that is why Taylor is putting in a roundabout," I tell him.

"Wow," Lorelai says. "We don't have a roundabout in Stars Hollow."

"Can we ring the doorbell?" Luke asks impatiently. "It's freezing out here."

"Sure," Lorelai answers ringing the doorbell.

"You're late," Emily says as she opens the door and then walks away.

"We were having a history lesson," Lorelai explains. "Today is a very historic day."

"Lorelai," Emily warns. "Just hurry up, dinner's nearly ready and we haven't had drinks yet."

"Okay mom," Lorelai says taking off her coat and following her. "So Jess you're a hero," Lorelai says to me. "You did push Kirk out of the way."

"Yeah," I answer her sarcastically. "I'm thinking of a career in law enforcement."

"Jess it's good to see you," Richard greets me.

"Yeah," Marcia the maid agrees. "I see you're still sarcastic."

"Always," I reply taking a seat.

"And you're overly happy," Marcia observes. "Are you drunk?"

"No," I answer. "I just had a good day… my life's good in general."

"Well that's good," Marcia says. "Dinner is ready but I'll keep it warm until you guys have finished your drinks."

"Thank you Marcia," Emily replies and Marcia leaves.

"Mom?" Lorelai questions.

"What?" Emily asks confused handing out the drinks.

"You've had Marcia as your maid for ages," Lorelai explains. "Why do you like her so much?"

"She does her job," Emily answers.

"No," Lorelai replies. "I think that it's something more than that."

"Lorelai it's not important," Richard tells his daughter. "The important thing is that we haven't had to remember a new maid's name in over a year, plus we've gained a friend in the process."

"Have you met her children yet?" I ask them.

"No," Richard answers.

"Than how can you call her your friend?" I ask him.

"I know," Emily says triumphantly. "We'll invite her whole family to dinner in two weeks."

"Geez mom," Lorelai replies. "Why do you like her so much?"

"She does her job," Emily repeats.

"Yeah we heard that already," Lorelai replies.

"A roundabout," I muse out loud. "Kirk will probably get confused and just keep driving around in circles."

Luke lets out a laugh. "Sorry," He apologizes to Richard and Emily.

"No don't be sorry," I tell Luke. "That thought was hilarious."

"Are you sure he's not drunk?" Richard asks eyeing me.

"He's not drunk," Luke replies.

"Well he's certainly acting drunk," Emily says. "Let's have dinner, maybe if we get some food into him he'll sober up."

"I'm not drunk," I tell her. "I'm underage, which means that I'm not allowed to drink."

"I doubt that would stop you," Emily says taking her seat.

"Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K-" I begin reciting the alphabet backwards.

"That proves nothing," Emily replies. "Say the presidents of the United States backwards."

"Fine," I reply. "Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower," I say letting out a small laugh.

"See," Emily tells me. "You can't do it."

"No, I can," I reassure her. "It's just that Eisenhower is a funny name."

"You're smoking pot aren't you," Emily accuses me.

"No," I reply. "Can't I just be high on life?"

"I'm sorry I'm late," Rory says coming in the dining room. "Oh Jess... I didn't know that you would be here… not that you can't be here or… hey."

"Hey," I respond.

"Rory please tell your boyfriend that it's not acceptable to come to dinner drunk," Emily tells her.

"What?" Rory asks me confused. "Drunk?"

"I am not drunk," I reassure her.

"Well okay then," She says taking a seat next to me. "So how are you doing?" Rory asks me.

"I'm good," I reply happily, I wasn't going to let her ruin my good mood.

"Shouldn't you know?" Emily asks Rory.

"They broke up mom," Lorelai tells her.

"And you didn't inform me why?" Emily asks.

"Because it happened like a week ago," Lorelai tells her. "Well less than a week ago,"

"Fine," Emily relents. "So Rory do you have a new boyfriend."

I tensed slightly, waiting for Rory's reply.

"No grandma," Rory answers. "I'm… I'm single."

"What about you Jess?" Richard asks me. "You're smart, I doubt that you will stay single for long."

"I'm taking a break dating wise," I tell him. "I'm focusing on enjoying life… I've never really done that before, it's good actually."

"And have you experienced anything good yet?" Richard asks me.

"Yeah," I reply getting excited. "I saved a mans life today."

"Really?" Rory asks me confused.

"Well granted it was only Kirk," I tell them. "But I'm sure that he is still considered as a man."

"What happened?" Richard asks curious.

"Oh no," Luke pleads. "I do not want to hear this story again."

"Maybe you could go with the short version," Lorelai suggests to me.

"The one that you and Luke didn't get," I question them. "Okay then. Kirk was in the middle of the road, car heading straight at him, I pushed him out of the way, the car swerves and hits a bike and the end result was the death of Morey."

"Morey?" Rory questions.

"Yes," I reply. "The gnome's name was Morey."

"Jess," Rory warns me hitting me in the arm. "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry," I reply. "But on the plus side Stars Hollow is getting its first roundabout."

"Really?" Rory questions me. "They don't need a roundabout."

"Well you know how Taylor is with the town's progress," I remind her.

"I thought that Taylor was halting the town's progress," Luke questions confused. "Wasn't he even trying to take us back in time?"

"I think that he's doing both," I tell Luke. "He wants Stars Hollow to go back to how it was when he was a boy, yet he wants it to be safe, and apparently that involves technological things like roundabouts."

"I'm going to have to visit Stars Hollow again," Richard says.

"Oh no dad," Lorelai says quickly. "You don't need to do that."

"I'll be your guide," I tell Richard. "I'll show you everyone and give you their back stories."

"Speaking of stories," Lorelai says excitedly. "The Inn's coming together slowly."

"How's that a speaking of?" I ask her confused. "Wait I get it. Speaking of Inn's, Gypsy is pregnant, or so says the word on the street."

"Gypsy's pregnant?" Lorelai questions in disbelief.

"Is it Andrew's?" Rory asks me.

"You would hope so," I reply. "They have been dating for a while now."

"Ooh, ooh," Lorelai says quickly. "I wonder if Andrew and Gypsy are doing the dance marathon together this year."

"Probably," I answer. "But that means more competition because Andrew isn't going to storm off the dance floor because Gypsy's dating Liam Neeson."

"Maybe Gypsy dated Liam Neeson too," Lorelai suggests.

"We can only hope," I reply.

"So you two are doing the dance marathon?" Rory asks timidly.

"Yeah," Lorelai answers excitedly. "And we're going to win, aren't we Jess?"

"Sure are," I reply happily.

"Lorelai you're eight months pregnant," Emily tells her. "Surely you cannot dance in you condition."

"I can dance," Lorelai replies. "Whether I should or not is still up in the air… but I can feel it this time, I'm going to win that trophy."

"You say that every year," Rory reminds her.

"Yeah," Lorelai replies. "But this time I have Jess as a partner and we are going to win."

* * *

**A/N- So the next chapter is the 24 hour dance marathon**

**Review **


	18. The Dance Marathon

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Berserker Nightwitch, biancaruth, Curley-Q, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, K-Marie-M, kylielink, mizskitles220, musicchica10, Polly, rj29, seebear, smartbookworm, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not mine**

**Enjoy**

**

* * *

**"Jess?" I hear Lorelai yell. "Wake up, today's the day."

"I'm up," I tell her pausing the DVD.

"Jess you didn't," Lorelai says once she hit the bottom of the stairs.

"Didn't what?" I ask her innocently.

"You stayed up all night watching Buffy," Lorelai scolds me. "The dance marathon is today."

"I know," I reply. "Do you not remember last year? I was so close to winning and Buffy helped me do that."

"Whatever," Lorelai tells me. "We lose and I'm kicking you out of the house."

"Sure, sure," I reply as Luke's walks down the stairs. "Uncle Luke, Lorelai's threatening to kick me out of the house."

"Lorelai?" Luke questions.

"I made no such threat," Lorelai lies. "Let's head out."

* * *

"Is Rory coming?" I ask Lorelai. We were on the dance floor.

"No idea," Lorelai replies. "But if she does you won't let her distract you understand?"

"I understand," I tell her.

"Jess," Finn says coming into the gym.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him confused.

"Dancing," Finn answers.

"With who?" I ask him confused.

"Colin," Finn answers.

"Does that mean that Logan is here as well?" I ask him dreading the answer.

"Yeah he's here with Rory," Finn answers.

"Are they dancing?" I ask him hoping that they weren't… if they were someone was going to end up with a black eye.

"No," Finn replies. "It's just Colin and me."

"You're drunk already I see," I observe.

"Yeah," Finn replies. "Miss Patty makes some killer punch."

"That she does," I agree. "So how did you get Colin to agree to dance with you?"

"Easy," Finn replies. "I got him drink last night."

"So you're both drunk?" I question him. "Well the dance marathon has suddenly got a lot more interesting."

"Okay people," Taylor announces. "Get ready we are about to start."

"Jess," Colin says coming onto the dance floor.

"Colin," I reply as Lorelai rejoins my side.

"Who's that?" Finn asks me. "I hate to say this Jess but you have definitely upgraded from Rory... and you've already impregnated her?"

"Finn," I warn him hitting him on the back of his head. "This is Rory's mother, show some respect."

"Sorry Ms. Gilmore," Finn apologizes.

"It's alright," Lorelai replies. "I like a man with an accent."

"Lorelai," Luke warns.

"Brother?" Finn questions.

"Husband," I tell him.

"Oh," Finn replies.

"Okay people," Taylor slurs. You could tell that he was already plastered. "Let the dancing begin."

* * *

_Hour Five_

"I'm done," Gypsy tells Andrew.

"Come on," Andrew pleads. "Just a few more hours."

"Do I have to remind you that I am carrying your child?" Gypsy asks him.

"Please," Andrew replies. "Lorelai is ready to burst and she's still dancing."

"I slept with Liam Neeson," Gypsy blurts out.

"What?" Andrew asks outraged. "You did not."

"I did," Gypsy tells him. "In fact this child could be his."

"Gypsy," Andrew pleads. "Please tell me that you are joking."

"Well stop dancing and maybe I'll let you know," Gypsy tells him and he immediately stops dancing.

"Please tell me that you were kidding," Andrew says following Gypsy out of the gym.

"Liam Neeson strikes again," Lorelai says.

"Yeah," I agree. "Maybe next time Liam will actually show up."

"That would be good," Lorelai replies. "Now all we need is for Kirk to hate Liam Neeson as well and we would win hands down."

* * *

_Hour Ten_

"Rory's staring at you," Lorelai tells me.

"I know," I reply.

"Who's that guy she's with?" Lorelai asks.

"Logan," I reply. "The guy she kissed."

"Oh," Lorelai says. "So are they dating?"

"Don't know," I reply.

"You're ignoring her," Lorelai tells me. "Why?"

"I'm just focusing on the dance marathon," I answer. "I don't really want to be dancing again next year."

"But next year we will have to defend our title," Lorelai tells me.

"Great," I mutter.

* * *

_Hour Twelve_

"Now," Taylor says. "It's time for the run-around."

"Damn," Lorelai replies. "I can't run in my state."

"Don't worry," I tell her. "Luke took care of it."

"Except Lorelai and Jess," Taylor announces. "Because it would be hazardous to Lorelai and her baby's health."

"What?" The crowd groans.

"You heard me," Taylor replies. "Now run, last five across the line will be out."

"Thank you Luke," Lorelai says as we make our way over to him.

"So how are you feeling?" Luke asks concerned.

"Fine," Lorelai replies.

"I'm going to go get something to eat," I tell them as I head out of the gym.

"Jess," I hear Rory say behind me, but I keep walking. "Jess will you stop ignoring me."

"Why?" I ask turning around to face her.

"Because I miss you," Rory replies.

"Whatever," I tell her.

"You're mad," Rory says.

"Yes, I'm mad," I reply. "I can't believe that you brought him here… why would you bring him here?"

"He wanted to see Finn and Colin dance, that's all," Rory defends.

"Are you seeing him?" I ask her dreading the answer. "Answer me Rory."

"I don't know," Rory replies. "We have some sort of open relationship, but things are changing… I don't know what we are."

"Well maybe you should ask him," I tell her turning around.

"Jess," Rory says placing her hand on my back.

"What?" I snap at her turning around.

We were so close and before anything registered in my mind I felt her kissing me.

"Rory," I say pulling away from her. "What is it with you? Huh? Do you enjoy kissing everyone?"

"Jess, it's not like that," Rory pleads. "I'm sorry."

"Rory I don't want to see you again until you've made up your mind," I tell her. "And if that is years from now… well I don't think that I can promise you anything anymore."

"But Jess," Rory pleads. "We live in the same house."

"Well if you plan on coming around let Luke or Lorelai know and I'll make myself scarce," I tell her. "Like you've said before, it was your house first."

I walked away and I hoped that the next time I saw her she had made up her mind.

* * *

_Hour Fourteen_

"Finn and Colin are wavering," I tell Lorelai.

"Well they should," She replies. "They've been drinking Miss Patty's punch non stop since we started dancing… I thought there was a no food or drink on the dance floor rule?"

"There probably was," I tell her. "They probably paid Taylor off."

"So who do you think will fall first?" Lorelai asks me.

"Colin, definitely," I answer. "Finn practically lives drunk… look he's not even stumbling and he's holding Colin up."

"Know anything to speed up the process?" Lorelai asks me.

"Umm," I say thinking about it. "I've got it."

We danced over to Finn and Colin and I whispered in his ear.

"Hey Finn," I tell him. "They're thinking of moving your football team the… kangaroos to the Gold Coast."

"Nooooo!" Finn literately screams dropping Colin and falling to his knees.

"What did you tell him?" Lorelai asks me impressed.

"Just the truth," I answer. "Only twenty couples left."

* * *

_Hour Seventeen _

"Ow," Lorelai says softly.

"What's wrong?" I ask her concerned.

"Nothing," Lorelai replies. "Just a slight cramp."

* * *

_Hour Twenty_

"Shit," Lorelai says in pain.

"You're having contractions aren't you?" I ask her. She had been wincing for the past three hours.

"Maybe," Lorelai replies. "But we can't give up, we're so close to winning."

"Lorelai," I say to her. "You're in pain."

"I'm fine Jess," Lorelai replies sharply.

* * *

_Hour Twenty-Three_

"Lorelai," I tell her holding her up.

"Quick make a distraction," Lorelai says quickly.

"Look a bird," I say pointing to the far corner and everyone who was awake turned away. "What's going on?" I ask her.

"You might want to step back," Lorelai tells me.

"Why," I say taking a step back, just as Lorelai's water broke. "Shit. Your water just broke, didn't it?"

"I'd hope so," Lorelai replies. "Otherwise I'm standing in urine."

"What do we do?" I ask her.

"We keep dancing," She tells me.

"Lorelai," I say.

"Jess," She pleads me.

"Fine, Finn," I yell out and he was at me side in a minute. "You know how to deliver a baby?"

"No," Lorelai says quickly. "He's drunk."

"Yes or no Finn," I ask him impatiently.

"Sure why not," Finn replies.

"Good," I say. "Go to Gypsy's garage and grab her creeper."

"Her what?" Finn asks confused.

"The thing that you lay on with wheels to look under a car," I explain.

"Ah, I've got it," Finn replies.

"I'm not a car," Lorelai protests.

"No, but Finn is going to have to look under your hood," I tell her.

"Hmm, the price of winning," Lorelai muses out loud. "That trophy better be worth it. Does anyone know what's going on?"

"No," I answer looking around, nearly everyone was asleep.

"Here," Finn says returning with the creeper.

"I think you know what you have to do," I tell Finn. "Good thing you wore a dress Lorelai."

"Okay," Finn says lying down on the creeper and sliding between Lorelai's legs.

"Oh god," Lorelai replies and I tighten my grip on her, holding her up.

"Ah Lorelai," Finn says impressed. "I see that you went commando?"

"Finn get on with it," I tell him. "Is she fully dilated?"

"No," Finn answers. "Keep dancing, I'll tell you when she is."

We moved around the floor, Finn in between Lorelai's legs the whole time.

* * *

_Hour Twenty-Four_

"Okay," Finn says. "We're fully dilated."

"Oh god," Lorelai says.

"Contractions are close," I tell Finn.

"Okay," Finn says nervously. "I'm going to ask you to push Lorelai."

"Okay," Lorelai replies and I hold her tighter. I'm completely supporting her now.

"Breath with me Lorelai," I tell her soothingly. "In, out, in, out… that's good, now push."

"Oh god," Lorelai says pushing.

"I see the head," Finn says. "Push again."

"Oh," Lorelai says as she pushes again and by now everyone realized what was going on. Somehow Finn between her legs for the last hour went unnoticed, well unnoticed be everyone but Luke, who had now came to hold Lorelai's hand.

"Just a minute," Finn says his hands disappearing up Lorelai's dress. "I have the shoulders, now push."

"I swear if you tell your friends about this," Lorelai warns Finn as she pushes.

"Ah here we are," Finn says catching the baby and wiping its mouth and nose clean so that it could breath.

We all held out breath, waiting for Ryan to cry… and then he did, we were so happy. Finn cut the cord and took him away to check his vitals.

"Thirty more minutes," I tell Lorelai holding her up, she was completely exhausted. "Then you can see your son."

"And the trophy?" Lorelai questions.

"And the trophy… now go to sleep, I've got you," I tell her.

"Mmm, thanks Jess," Lorelai mutters before falling asleep.

"You're crazy, you know that."

"Mmm hmm," Lorelai replies.

"Well at least we didn't get disqualified for delivering a baby on the dance floor," I sigh in relief.

* * *

**A/N- Rory and Jess will be back together soon**

**Review **


	19. Baby Ryan

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Berserker Nightwitch, Curley-Q, Daisyangel, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, K-Marie-M, Katharina von Valois, kathi-ryn, kaypgirl, kylielink, Litfreek98, LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan, mizskitles220, musicchica10, , RoRyJeSsAdDiCt, SoManyObsessions, Taffeta Punk, The Dark is Gaining, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not mine**

**Enjoy**

**

* * *

**"Finn," Lorelai scolds from the couch, holding her newborn baby. "That is not how the story goes."

"It is too," Finn says pretending to be hurt.

"It is a little over the top," I tell Finn. "You make it seem as though she was near death when she gave birth on the dance floor."

"Yes," Finn agrees. "And I saved her by delivering that baby."

"His name is Ryan," Lorelai corrects Finn.

"I think we should just drop the subject," I tell Lorelai. "Finn's obviously warped the story in his head where he was the hero who jumped through many impossible hoops to save Ryan."

"But I did," Finn protests.

"Here," I say to Lorelai as I grab Ryan off her. "Hey Ry, do you believe uncle Finny?"

"He believes me," Finn quickly answers for Ryan.

"I don't think that he does," I tell Finn as I rock Ryan in my arms. "Do you Ry? Uncle Finny's a drunk and shouldn't be trusted at all."

"Hey," Finn quickly argues. "Don't tell the poor boy that, I want him to like me."

"Ssshhh!" I tell Finn glancing over at Lorelai sleeping. "She's sleeping, let's head to my room."

"I don't know," Finn says dramatically. "Do you know how to look after a baby, he's not that old yet."

"I think we can manage," I tell him leading the way to my room.

"What's through there?" Finn asks motioning to Rory's door as we pass it.

"Rory's room," I answer heading to my room.

"Ah," Finn replies. "I keep forgetting that she lives here."

"Yeah," I agree. "She'll be by sometime to see her step-brother... well she should be."

"So this is your room?" Finn questions as he follows me in.

"Yep," I answer somewhat nervous as to what he would think.

"Cool," Finn says. I waited for more, but nothing came. "Can I hold Ryan?" Finn asks me.

"No," I say looking up at him whilst holding Ryan protectively against my chest. "You're drunk."

"I'm always drunk," Finn replies confused.

"Doesn't matter," I tell him seriously. "Ryan is a fragile human being, if you dropped him… you can't hold him Finn. If you're sober I would consider it, but there's no way."

"I understand," Finn says sadly as the phone rings.

"Answer that," I tell him. "It's probably Rory."

"Where's the phone?" Finn asks me.

"Follow the ring," I tell him simply as he heads out of the room. "I'll protect you Ry," I tell the baby in my arms rocking him back and forth gently. "You'll have a good childhood, I'll make sure of that… I'll always be here for you. Plus you'll have your mom Lorelai and your dad Luke, who are just great parents, and you'll have you big sister Rory… well hopefully she'll come around to her senses, huh, what do you think?"

"Yeah," Finn says talking into the phone as he rejoins me. '_It's Rory_' he mouthed to me. "No, the birth went off without a hitch, if I do say so myself."

I quickly grabbed my cell and listened in to the call.

"Is Jess at the house?" Rory asks Finn.

Finn looks at me and I nod my head. "Yeah," Finn answers.

"Oh," Rory says taken aback slightly.

"But I think that he was just about to head out," Finn quickly tells her.

"Oh, okay," She replies still not entirely happy. "Umm, I guess I'll come around then… you'll be there when I get there?" Rory asks anxiously.

"Should be," Finn answers. "Jess won't let me drive back to Yale drunk."

"Umm sure," Rory replies. "So I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, see you," Finn says as he hangs up the phone. "So that was Rory."

"I'm aware," I reply, slightly frustrated that she still hadn't made up her mind, granted it had only been a day.

"So are you going to leave before she gets here?" Finn asks me.

"I suppose," I reply. "If she doesn't want me here then I'll leave."

"Just take her back," Finn tells me. "Kiss her and tell her not to leave… that you want to be with her."

"And I'm supposed to take relationship advice from you?" I ask him confused. "You've never had a girlfriend."

"Have too," Finn quickly defended.

"Yeah, who?" I question him in disbelief.

"Amy Morgan," Finn answers. "Second grade, back in Australia."

"Second grade?" I ask him. "That does not count."

"Why not?" Finn asks me. "I was mature for my age."

"Well I guess that you're maturity has decreased since then," I tell him and Ryan starts to cry. "Ssshhh Ry," I say rocking him gently. "You woke him."

"No you woke him," Finn counters. "Are you leaving yet?"

"No," I reply as I glance down at Ryan who had calmed down. "I can't leave Ryan here with you," I tell him honestly. "I guess I'll just have to stay until Rory gets here."

"Good," Finn says happily. "My plan is working."

"What?" I ask him confused. "Did you plan on getting drunk and being here right when Rory was going to show up… plus Lorelai falling asleep?"

"Well no," Finn corrects. "But it sure worked out well didn't it?"

We waited in relative silence. Finn was trying to persuade me to let him hold Ryan, and I was telling him no for the hundredth time. He gave up after about ten minutes and told me that he was going to wait for Rory out the front. Once Finn left I lay back on the bed with Ryan and closed my eyes… and that's the position I was in when I heard Rory enter the house.

"Mom's asleep?" Rory questions frantically. "Where's the baby?"

"His name's Ryan," Finn tells her. "And he's in Jess' room… with Jess."

"Ryan?" Rory questions, it must've been the first time that she's heard his name.

"Yeah, Ryan," Finn tells her. "He's so cute and Jess won't let him out of his sight."

"Jess?" Rory questions it finally registering in her mind. "He's here then?"

"Yeah," Finn replies. "He doesn't trust me with Ryan."

I heard them approach and kept my eyes closed, maybe I would get some more answers from Rory, plus I was too damn comfortable to move.

"There they are," I hear Finn announce. "Cute aren't they?"

"Yeah… umm," Rory falters as her breath catches in her throat. "Is he asleep?"

"Who?" Finn asks her confused. "Ryan or Jess?"

"Both," Rory answers.

"Well I'm guessing that Ryan's asleep," Finn tells her. "As for Jess… well I'm guessing you know more about his sleeping patterns than me… oh look at the time, I'm going to go… out."

"Finn," Rory calls after him. "Finn… where are you going? Damn… Jess I know you're awake."

"Huh?" I reply in mock confusion as I open my eyes. "Oh hey Rory."

"Hey," Rory says nervously shifting from foot to foot.

"Do you want to hold Ryan?" I ask her as I sit up carefully with him.

"Umm," Rory says still nervous, but this time for a completely different reason. "I don't know… what if I drop him?"

"You won't drop him," I reassure her. "And if you do… well."

"Jess," Rory scolds me.

"You'll be fine Rory," I tell her. "Sit down on the bed and hold Ryan over the bed, that way if you do happen to drop him he won't fall far and he'll land on the nice soft bed… plus I'm going to be right here next to you, okay?"

"Okay," Rory replies still a little nervous, but sits down on the bed anyway.

"Okay Ryan," I tell the baby. "This is your sister Rory, I was telling you about her remember, so here you go," I say as I hand him over to Rory.

"He's so small," Rory gasps as she holds Ryan in her arms. "What's his full name?"

"Ryan Jess Gilmore-Danes," I tell her.

"He's lucky to have you to look up to," Rory says sincerely.

"Yeah," I agree. "He's also lucky to have a great big sister to look up to as well, aren't you Ry?"

"I'm not that great," Rory dismisses my comment. "You said that you've been telling him about me… what have you told him?"

"Not much," I reply as I focus my attention on Ryan. "Just that he has a great sister, someone who is going to love him unconditionally no matter what. Someone who's smart and will show him all the world's great literature, music and films."

"He doesn't need me for that," Rory tells me sadly. "You're just as good as me, if not better in all those aspects."

"Maybe so," I agree. "But I'm not his sister, I'm only his uncle."

"But… how can you even say all these nice things about me when I've treated you the way that I've treated you?" Rory asks me genuinely confused.

"I fell in love with you," I tell her honestly. "I fell in love with the whole you, flaws and all. I know that you are stubborn, but I also know how much you love me… and I can't help but believe that you will show that same love to Ryan."

"But Jess…" Rory pleads now crying, I take Ryan off her. "I got scared and I'm sorry. I was scared that you wouldn't love me forever. I was scared that I would spend all this time with you and then you would leave me for someone better… I would be old and no one would want me, plus I don't think that I would want to be with anyone other than you anyway. So with kissing Logan I saw it as your easy way out, to leave me and never look back, but when you said that you would wait for me I knew that I had made a mistake. I put you through all that and you were still going to stick by me. I know you love me Jess and you proved it that very day. I should've came straight back to you when I realized this, but I was being my stubborn self, and once again my fears were getting the better of me… I'm sorry Jess."

"You're insane, you know that?" I ask Rory in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," Rory says standing up. "I shouldn't have said that… I shouldn't have assumed that you would just take me back… I'm sorry Jess."

She took what I said the wrong way, and now she was leaving.

"Rory, wait," I plead her, standing up gently with Ryan. "I'm sorry too… I should have never pushed you away, I should've stayed by you so that we could work through this together."

"So what now?" Rory asks me. "We're both sorry, but what does that mean?"

"I don't know if we can go back to the way things were before," I tell her honestly.

"What?" Rory asks me confused. "Well if that's what you think is best."

"I want more Rory," I tell her. "I need stability in my life. I've spent my whole life not being able to rely on anyone, but then I found you… but when I saw you kissing Logan… it destroyed the trust I had in you."

"Okay," Rory says trying to hold back her tears.

"You know everything about my life," I tell her. "You've read my diary… I've never trusted anyone, ever, but you taught me to trust… and I know deep down that I can trust you again."

"What?" Rory asks me confused.

"I have something," I tell her handing her Ryan and grabbing a box out of my dresser. "I brought this ages ago, I held onto it waiting for the best time to give it to you and I believe that time is now."

"What is it?" Rory asks me confused. I grab Ryan back off her and hand her the box. "Jess… is this an engagement ring?"

"Maybe," I reply trying to gauge her reaction. "Or you could look at it as more of a promise ring. It's just we talked about marriage before we split and now it seems like a good as time as any to have some sort of promise made so that it doesn't happen again. It doesn't have to be an engagement ring if you don't want..."

"No Jess," Rory says quickly. "I would love for it to be an engagement ring. We don't have to get married in the near future, but I love the symbolism of it… I know now more than ever that I want to be with you and only you for the rest of my life."

"Good, that's good," I tell her relieved. "It's because I have a baby isn't it?"

"Jess," Rory warns me. "Do you want me to hurt you?"

"Well as long as we're still engaged and you don't hurt Ryan," I tell her. "Then knock yourself out. Come here," I tell her sitting back down on the bed and motioning for her to join me, which see does. "Here," I say as I grab the ring off her and slide it on her ring finger.

"I like the ring," Rory says as she snuggles into my side.

"Well that's definitely a bonus," I tell her closing my eyes. I was tired, getting back the love of my life had me drained.

"I love you Jess," Rory tells me.

"I love you too," I reply. "But not as much as I love Ryan, sorry, he's just too cute."

"Yeah, he's cute," Rory agrees. "He's going to be heartbreaker when he grows up."

"That he is," I mumble tiredly. "Is this a dream Rory?"

"I don't think so," Rory replies. "But if it is I hope that we never wake up."

"Me too Rory," I tell her. "Me too."

* * *

**A/N- So they are back together. Now I was thinking of ending this story, I started writing The Ripple Effect nearly a year ago now, and then went straight onto this one (it's sequel) so I think that it's time to let it go. But don't worry, I plan on writing like a six chapter epilogue of future important events, like Rory and Jess' wedding, moving out of home, and such**

**Anyway, review**


	20. The Gilmore Mariano Danes Family

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Bubbly131, Curley-Q, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, kathi-ryn, kylielink, LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan, rj29, SoManyObsessions, The Dark is Gaining- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Do not own**

**Enjoy**

**

* * *

**"Oh, they look so cute together," Lorelai says from the doorway holding Ryan in her arms. "Don't they Luke?"

"I guess," Luke replies shifting uncomfortably. "Does this mean that they are back together?"

"Either that or Jess is going to be very angry when he wakes up," Lorelai tells Luke.

"I can hear you," I tell them opening my eyes.

"So, are you two back together?" Lorelai asks excitedly.

"Yeah we are," I tell Lorelai as I quickly check to make sure that Rory's left hand was covered, I didn't want to tell Luke and Lorelai that we were engaged until Rory told me that it was alright.

"About time," Lorelai replies. "And thanks for looking after Ryan Jess."

"No problem," I tell Lorelai. "I like the little guy."

"Hello anybody home," I heard Liz say as the kitchen side door opened.

"Over here," Luke replies and a second later I see Liz and TJ.

"Oh there's the little guy," Liz cooed as she played with Ryan's feet.

"Luke," TJ greets.

"TJ," Luke greets back.

"So how's fatherhood?" Liz asks her brother.

"Good, very good," Luke replies looking at Ryan. "And Jess has been a big help."

"Oh Jess," Liz says coming into my room. "I didn't see you there."

"Hey," I reply subconsciously pulling Rory closer to me and effectively waking her up in the process.

"What's going on?" Rory asks confused as she opens her eyes.

"Rory dearest," I say to her. "I think that it's time that you to meet my parents… well my parents for all legal purposes."

"Do you think that it's too soon," Rory replies playing along.

"Oh my god," Liz squealed and I noticed that Rory's hand was now above the covers. "You two are engaged."

"What?" Luke and Lorelai ask confused.

"Oh look at the ring," Liz says grabbing Rory's hand in her own. "I didn't know that you had such good taste in jewelry Jess."

"Yeah," I reply a little uneasily. "I kind of stole it off you… it's one for yours, but I fully intend on paying you back for it."

"Don't worry about it," Liz says happily. "Think of it as my engagement gift to you, both of you... oh I'm so happy."

"Thanks," I reply genuinely happy.

"Yeah thanks so much," Rory agrees.

"You're engaged?" Lorelai asks trying to get it all to sink in. "When's the wedding?"

"Way off," Rory answers and I look at her in mock hurt, I knew that we were waiting until the right time, and if it's years in the future than I'd happily wait. "After college probably."

"So why'd you get engaged then?" Lorelai asks still confused.

"I didn't like Rory with other guys," I explain to them. "I also didn't like breaking up with her… I see this as a way where we will have to work out our problems first instead of just taking the easy way out. It seems easier to break up with your girlfriend compared to breaking up with your fiancé."

"Congratulations," Luke tells us. "I'm glad everything's worked out for you two in the end."

"Yeah," Lorelai agrees. "But…wow! My baby's getting married, I just had a baby… geez I'm getting old."

"You're not getting old," Rory disagrees as she gets out of bed, fully clothed, and walks over to Ryan. "Hey baby brother, your big brother distracted me earlier and I couldn't properly greet you, so hey."

"Hello Rory," Lorelai says in her ugly baby voice and Rory involuntary shuddered.

"At least Ryan isn't one of those ugly babies," Rory says to Lorelai. "Can we put him on our Christmas card?"

"For others to mock?" Lorelai questions her daughter as though she had two heads. "No way, I can't do that to poor Ryan."

"So Liz, TJ," Luke says shifting the conversation to them. "What are you doing in Stars Hollow?"

"We just brought a place," Liz answers excitedly. "Plus I had to meet my nephew."

"You brought a place?" I ask them confused. "Here in Stars Hollow?"

"No," TJ answers sarcastically. "Yes here, were you dropped on your head as a child?"

"No," I grumble back. "Were you?"

"Anyway," Liz says excitedly. "Since we are now living here… Jess I was wondering if you would move back home."

"What?" I ask confused as I saw sadness pass across Luke, Lorelai and Rory's faces.

"We want you to move in with us," TJ replies. "Well your mom does."

"But I have my room… and Milo," I reply confused, I didn't want to go back there, I didn't care how much Liz had changed. My home was here with Luke, Lorelai and Rory, it's my only home.

"We can re-create your room for you," Liz says happily.

"I can't, I'm sorry," I say quickly closing my eyes, I didn't want to see Liz's reaction. "This is my home. Luke and Lorelai have looked after me during the good times and the bad. And Rory has… well she's just always been there for me."

"You don't have to stay here just because of us," Lorelai says and I can tell that she was forcing herself to say it.

"No," I reply confidently opening my eyes. "I've never felt as though I had a home, and I'm sorry that you have to hear this Liz but it's true, then Luke took me in and then Lorelai did, and I feel as though this is my home and I'm not giving that up, I wouldn't give it up for the world. I love having the feeling that no matter how screwed up things become in my life I can come back here, have a nice warm bed to sleep in and people to look after me who care. I can't give that up, I'm sorry Liz."

"It's alright, I guess," Liz says sadly. "Well at least we both live in the same town, you'll come and visit us won't you Jess?"

"Sure," I reply honestly. "It's the least I can do."

"Good," Liz says happily. "Well we'll get going, we've got to unpack."

"Okay," Lorelai replies. "Well feel free to stop by anytime."

"We will," Liz says as she and TJ leave by the door in the kitchen.

"Thank you Jess," Lorelai says with tears in her eyes.

"For what?" I ask her confused.

"For staying here," Lorelai explains. "You have no idea what it means to all of us."

"No problem," I reply. "But seeing as Rory and I are engaged does that mean we can sleep in each other's beds?" I ask hopefully.

"We've got to get back to Yale Jess," Rory tells me. "You are going back to Yale aren't you?"

"I never left Yale," I reply as I get up and pull her into a hug. "But I'm not going back to Logan's dorm that's for sure."

"What happened between you and Logan anyway?" Lorelai asks her daughter curiously.

"Nothing," Rory replies ducking her head. "He wanted to try an open relationship, one where we could see other people as well as each other and I stupidly agreed… I broke it off though, once I caught him with some blonde. It turns out that I'm just not into that kind of thing, I'm strictly a one man… well one boyfriend kind of girl."

"Good to know," I say pulling her into another hug. "And for the record I don't hold anything that you did in our time apart over you, alright?"

"Good to know," Rory replies smiling and then turning to her mom. "So where is this trophy?"

"The one I won for the dance marathon?" Lorelai questions in mock confusion. "I don't know maybe on the mantle next to the TV, right in the space where the sun shines in and the glint off the trophy burns your eyes, maybe there."

"Well are you going to show me?" Rory asks her mom excitedly.

"Fine, fine," Lorelai says as she leads Rory into the living room. "Here it is."

"Wow!" Rory says admiring the trophy. "I can't believe you actually have it, you dreamt of having this trophy since the competition first started about seven years ago… I just never thought that I would see the day."

"Way to support your mother," I say to Rory.

"It's not like that," Rory reassures her mother. "But tell me, did you flaunt this trophy in front of Kirk?"

"No," Lorelai replies her hand over her heart feigning innocence. "I would never do that to Kirk no matter how many times he did it to me."

"You didn't?" Rory asks her confused.

"Well after having Ryan and looking after Ryan," Lorelai explains. "I haven't actually had a chance to."

"But you are planning on it, aren't you?" Rory asks desperately. "You aren't going to get this trophy again, you know that, Kirk's going to come back with a vengeance."

"Geez," Lorelai replies sarcastically. "What do _you_ have against Kirk?"

"Nothing," Rory answers. "I just think that we should give him a taste of his own medicine."

"What have you done to her Jess?" Lorelai asks me. "She never used to be like this."

"Nothing, I swear," I reply. "Maybe we should have her committed."

"Someone has to side with me on this, Luke?" Rory questions and Luke stays silent. "Ryan will be on my side, won't you Ryan."

"Keep the baby away from her," I say taking Ryan off Lorelai. "Don't hurt Ry, he's just a baby."

"Come on Luke," Rory pleads. "Everyone's ganging up on me."

"Alright," Luke says stepping in. "Everyone settle down and leave Rory alone."

"That was fun," Lorelai rejoices. "And by the way Rory I'm never going to give that trophy back and Taylor's a tightass so he won't buy another and therefore ultimately Kirk will never have the trophy in his possession again."

"Oh Ry," I whisper to Ryan, but loud enough for the others to her. "You've been born into a crazy family, you know that. I wonder if you will have a coffee addiction, like you mom and sister."

"He won't," Luke warns Lorelai. "You will not feed our child coffee ever, you understand?"

"Sure thing Luke," Lorelai replies. "Though if he asks for it then I'm not going to not give it to him."

"Does that make sense to anyone other than me?" Luke asks confused.

"And moving on," Lorelai interrupts. "Jess are you planning on staying here or moving into Rory's dorm?" Lorelai questions.

"Here, I guess," I answer. "I'll crash at Rory's dorm some nights when I've had a big day, but mainly here… well until Rory and I get a place of our own of course."

"Good," Lorelai says excitedly. "You're so good with Ryan I would like to appoint you as his nanny."

"Nanny?" I question confused.

"Sure," Lorelai replies happily. "When Luke's at work and when I go back to the Inn we're really going to need help, plus it will help you for when you and Rory have a baby."

"I'll do it," I tell her with a sigh. "But because I love Ryan and you cannot call me his nanny… I feel like hired help, not family, but then again what does this job pay?"

"Jess," Rory warns. "You cannot be paid for looking after family."

"Hmm, yes I can," Jess replies happily playing with Ryan's fingers. "I'm going to teach Ry to repay me in kisses, isn't that right RyRy?"

"He's going to be so good to his own kids," Lorelai muses out loud. "Hurry up and get pregnant Rory."

"Oh no," Rory replies frantically. "I'm am not getting pregnant until after we are married and I'm not getting married until after we both graduate… got that mom?"

"I understand," Lorelai says sadly to Rory. "But look at him with Ryan, he's so cute, and he gave him a nickname that I'm guessing Ryan won't let anyone else call him by other than Jess."

"I'm still not getting pregnant," Rory tells her mother as she gazes lovingly at Jess and Ryan, and lets out a sigh.

* * *

**A/N- So that was officially/unofficially the last chapter, next will be the five chapter epilogue and I'm going to hopefully make it as detailed as possible so that you guys don't feel as though you missed out on anything**

**Review**


	21. Epilogue Part One

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **blueguju, Bubbly131, Curley-Q, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, kylielink, LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan, mizskitles220, musicchica10, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not Mine**

**Epilogue part 1/5**

**Enjoy**

**

* * *

**"Jessie," Ryan says grabbing onto my leg.

"What buddy?" I ask as I pick one year old Ryan up off the ground and cradle him.

"No move," Ryan tells me sternly and then buries his face in my chest.

"I have to move Ry," I say to him as I sit down on the couch. "I'll come and visit you all the time, hey, we'll only be in New Haven and that's only thirty minutes away… 22.8 miles to be exact."

"No!" Ryan protests grabbing onto my shirt tightly.

"Ryan," I tell him as I rub up his back soothingly. "Don't you want me and your big sister Rory to move?"

"No move," Ryan repeats.

"But you'll have mommy and daddy," I try to sway him.

"Milo?" Ryan questions me.

"No, I'm sorry buddy," I tell him sadly. "Milo's coming with me."

"No!" Ryan says now crying. "Jessie, Milo, Ror, stay."

"Rory can you give me a hand?" I call out to her.

"What's going on?" Rory asks confused coming out of her old bedroom.

"Ryan won't let us move, will you buddy?" I explain.

"But Ryan don't you want us to bring you presents when we come and visit?" Rory tries to tempt him. "If we stay here then we won't be able to bring you presents."

"Presents," Ryan says immediately brightening up. "Coffee?" He asks all hopeful.

"You can't have coffee yet," I tell him. He sure was taking after Lorelai. "And maybe your mommy could get you a dog of your own."

He looked at me skeptically.

"Maybe we should just leave without him knowing," Rory suggests.

"Ssshhh, he can hear you," I tell Rory as I cover up Ryan's ears. "We can't just leave him."

"And he's not going to let you go Jess," Rory replies sadly. "You two have been attached at the hip this past year. If Lorelai was a single mother then he would call you dad."

"Who am I?" I ask Ryan after I take my hands off his ears.

He looks at me confused before answering, "Jessie?"

"See," I tell Rory. "He doesn't see me as his father, we just have to find the right thing to make him happy with us leaving."

"Well if he's anything like mom and me, then coffee's the only thing that's going to work," Rory explains. "And we all know that Luke and you won't let him have it."

"Ror," Ryan says pulling on her hair trying to get her attention before climbing off my lap and onto hers.

"What Ryan?" Rory asks him.

"Love you," Ryan tells her. "Coffee?"

"Nice one Ry," I congratulate him. "Butter her up first."

"Jess do not encourage him," Rory warns me.

"Fine, fine," I relent as I try to figure out a way for Ryan to let us go. As much as I loved living at home with Ryan it was time for Rory and me to live together. We rented a place close to Yale, a little one bedroom, but it would be big enough for us. I couldn't wait until we moved in, but with Ryan being as stubborn as he is, it might be a while. "How about we just tell him that we're going to Yale," I suggest. "We do that already, but instead of crashing in your dorm we'll have our own place. And it's not that far, we can come and visit Ryan a fair bit, but then as time goes on we gradually come less and less… but we'll still come down and see him every weekend though, I'll miss Ry," I tell Rory whilst playing with Ryan's thick light brown hair.

"That might actually work," Rory says as she leant over and kissed me. "It will be the same as now, but different for us, Ryan will never expect a thing, and like you said we'll visit him every weekend, we're already spending three to four days in New Haven anyway."

"Good it's settled," I say as I turn my attention to Ryan. "We're going to Yale today," I tell him, it's what we told him all the time and he now knew that would mean that we would be away for a couple of days, it should work out perfectly.

"Yale," Ryan says happily smiling up at us. "Dan."

"Dan?" I question him. "Do you want us to bring you another bulldog when we come home?" Rory and I had brought him a stuffed bulldog from Yale and called it Dan, Ryan loved it, he took it everywhere with him. Maybe we could get him another one and this time he could name it.

Ryan nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Go get Dan," Rory tells him as she puts him on the ground.

Ryan walks slowly towards my room… well his room. I gave it to him because he seemed to like the blue walls so much. So whenever I stayed over here I just slept with Rory in her room. It's exactly the same room as it was, just more kid friendly, small bed with rails, all that. Plus the rest of my stuff was being moved out so that I could take it with me to New Haven.

"Dan," Ryan announces proudly as he picks up the stuffed bulldog and hugs it tightly.

"Well done buddy," I tell him as I pick him up. We hear the front door open. "Mommy's home, let's go say hello."

I walk him into the kitchen.

"Hey my big boy," Lorelai says excitedly as she takes Ryan out of my arms. "You miss me?"

Ryan nodded his head excitedly.

"Yale," Ryan says enthusiastically.

"You guys going back today?" Lorelai questions.

"Yeah," I answer. "We're going to finish packing up here and get settled in this afternoon."

"How'd Ryan take the news?" Lorelai asks concerned.

"Not well," Rory answers. "So we just told him that we were going back to Yale, we'll come back and see him in a few days, he won't realize that we actually moved out."

"Probably for the best," Lorelai agrees. "I'm going to have to take him to the Inn with me now, he doesn't like to be away from us."

"Well we better get packing," I tell them.

"Are you going to come help us move in?" Rory asks her mom.

"If by helping you move in you actually mean watching you and Jess move in then yes," Lorelai replies. "Isn't that right Ryan, isn't that right?"

"Don't baby him," I warn Lorelai.

"Why not?" Lorelai replies. "He's my kid and someone has to do it, god forbid if Rory or you spoke to him like he wasn't an adult. Your children are going to be so emotionally scarred."

"No our children are going to be smart," I tell Lorelai.

"Our children?" Rory questions me in disbelief.

"Well I'm assuming that we're going to have children one day, aren't we?" I ask her confused.

"Well sure," Rory replies. "But I didn't realize that you were thinking about it."

"Well I am, are you?" I ask her suddenly unsure.

"I am too," Rory tells me and I lean down to kiss her.

"Okay, that's enough," Lorelai tells us. "You're making me sick, go pack your things and we'll drive down to New Haven with you."

* * *

"Finally," Rory says as she watches me bring the last box in.

"Says she who didn't lift a finger," I tell her completely out of breath.

"Hey, I was supervising with mom and Ryan," Rory defends.

"Yeah," Lorelai agrees. "But you did a good job Jess."

"Well time to unpack," I tell Rory. "And that does include you."

"No you can't," Lorelai says to me. "Seeing as you took so long to bring the boxes in it's time for dinner and seeing as today is Friday we're going to the grandparents."

"No way," I quickly protest.

"Wait it gets better," Lorelai tells me cunningly. "So I figured that today was a good as any day for you to tell the grandparents about your engagement."

"You didn't?" Rory questions nervously.

"I told them that you have big news," Lorelai explains. "And I might have accidentally let slip something about you being pregnant."

"But I'm not pregnant," Rory sighs frustrated.

"Well then they should take the news of your engagement fairly well then," Lorelai says standing up with Ryan in her arms. "Now come on we don't want to be late."

We followed Lorelai out of the apartment. She got in Luke's truck with Ryan, whilst Rory and I got in my Impala.

"Jess please tell me that I am dreaming," Rory pleads me.

"I don't think that you are," I reply nervously. "We're going to have to tell your grandparents tonight, at least Richard's on my side I just hope that he keeps Emily in check."

"That won't happen," Rory says knowingly and then stares out the window.

The rest of the drive was silent. Both Rory and I were expecting the worst as we pulled up in the driveway behind Lorelai.

"Are you ready?" I ask Rory as I stop the car.

"No," Rory says in horror. "Something bad is going to happen."

I got out of the car and went around to her side and helped her out.

"Nothing bad is going to happen," I reassure her as I grab her hand and lead her to the front door. "Nothing they say can ruin what we have, okay?"

"No, it's going to be bad," Rory replies.

"Well think of it like this," I explain to her. "At the end of this dinner we get to go home, to our own home, just the two of us… how does that sound?"

"Good, really good actually," Rory says her mood brightening up.

"Good," I say as I kiss her.

"Excuse me," Emily says from the door and I immediately pull away from Rory. "I don't appreciate fornicating outside my house."

"Of course," I apologize to Emily. "Do you maybe have a free bedroom then?" I ask her and her face falls. "We won't be long… fifteen minutes tops."

"Jess," Rory warns me. "Sorry Grandma please ignore Jess."

"Come inside," Emily says as she moves aside.

"Where's Marcia?" Lorelai asks as she follows Emily into the house.

"Cooking dinner," Emily retorts. "Where else would she be?"

"I don't know," Lorelai replies sarcastically. "Greeting your guests like she usually does."

"Lorelai I expect these kinds of rude remarks from Jess, not you," Emily says as we sit down. "Now what's this news?"

"Don't we get drinks?" Lorelai asks confused. "We could be dying of thirst over here and I'm sure that Ryan would like a juice box."

"Oh," Emily says looking down at Ryan. "You brought him."

"His name is Ryan," I tell her bitterly, she seemed to hate Ryan because of who his father was, she never did like Luke.

"I know that young man," Emily says condescendingly to me.

"Where's grandpa?" Rory asks quickly.

"Right here Rory," Richard says coming into the room. "Ah hello everyone, Jess, oh and Ryan… he's getting big Lorelai."

"Yeah he is dad," Lorelai replies happy that at least on of her parents knew her child's name.

"You don't have drinks?" Richard asks us confused. "Didn't you offer them any Emily?"

"Oh," Emily says in mock confusion. "I must have forgot, especially with this big news that Rory and Jess have."

"Oh yes," Richard says excitedly as he makes our drinks. "What is it?"

"I don't know," Emily replies. "They won't tell me… you better have not impregnated her Jess."

"Emily," Richard warns.

"No Emily nothing like that," I tell her. "Rory is definitely without child."

"Well that's something," Emily says. "So what's so important that you had to come here?"

"Ouch," I say in mock hurt, two could play at this game.

"Jess," Rory says warningly to me as she grabs my hand soothingly.

"Fine," I say as I take a deep breath. "I asked Rory to marry me," Well technically I asked her to marry me over a year ago, but they didn't need to know this, especially Emily. "And she said yes."

"You can't be serious Rory," Emily says to her in disgust. "Him of all people."

"I think it's great," Richard tells us. "Congratulations Jess and Rory."

"Thanks Richard," I tell him sincerely.

"Yeah thanks Grandpa," Rory says happily.

"Oh god you are serious," Emily suddenly realizes. "Rory have you even thought this through… if he's threatening you into agreeing to this than tell me, I can help you."

"I can't-" Rory begins but is cut off by Emily.

"It's okay," Emily tells her. "Just blink twice if he is forcing you into this."

"Umm, I'm going to get Ryan something to drink," Lorelai says standing up. "He doesn't need to hear this."

"Do not insult Rory like that," I tell Emily once Ryan was out of the room. "She is old enough to make her own decisions and if you even knew Rory then you would know that she never does anything without thinking it through and she would never do anything that she is uncomfortable with."

"I'm sure that-" Emily begins but I cut her off.

"No, let me talk," I tell her. "Haven't you ever heard the expression if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all… well I guess you have but for you to actually comply with that expression then you might as well be a mute because you sure as hell never have anything nice to say about anyone. Now I'm only saying this for your benefit so listen carefully, Rory and I are having a long engagement, very long, a couple of years at least. We are still going to attend Yale, but she isn't going to be taking your money anymore, we'll accept Richard's half but not yours. We will be having children sometime after college and after we get married you unfortunately won't be able to be anywhere near our kids, I will not subject them to you."

"As for you Richard," I continue calming down slightly. "We would like to meet you once a week, somewhere in Hartford, we'll come to you. You will be invited to our graduation, wedding, child's birth… all that. We love how you've accepted everything about our relationship and we have no reason not to keep on seeing you, but we cannot see Emily anymore, and unless she changes dramatically then we'll stay away. Now we are going to go, sorry Richard I hope that we haven't ruined your evening."

"No, of course not," Richard says standing up when we stood up.

"Good luck paying for Yale," Emily tells me.

"Oh don't you worry about that," I tell her. "I have it all covered." I had started getting checks for my third in Truncheon's profits and it wasn't overly much, I wasn't going to be a millionaire, but it would be enough for now. Truncheon will get more well known soon and when I finish my book and get it published I should get a few dollars then. "Come on Rory," I say to her grabbing her hand and leading her towards the front door, I think she was in shock.

"I'll meet you outside," Lorelai tells us as she takes a sleeping Ryan out the front door.

"We'll be in touch Richard," I tell him as I hand him a Truncheon business card with my name on it, Rory thought that it was a good gift for my last birthday so she printed out 100 business cards for me to give out… this was the first that I had given out though.

"Thank you Jess for not cutting me out as well," Richard says sincerely. "And I'm sorry about Emily."

"No problem, I'll see you when I see you," I tell him as I walk out the front door with Rory.

"You alright?" Lorelai asks me. "I heard everything."

"Ryan?" I ask her concerned, had he heard me?

"He was asleep by then," Lorelai reassures me. "Do you want to come back to Stars Hollow?"

"No," I tell her. "I think it would be better if we just went home… it will be good to be alone for a little while."

"Rory looks a little pale," Lorelai notices. "Call me if anything goes wrong."

"Will do," I tell her as I walk Rory to her side of the car and place her in gently.

I back out of the car and drive back to New Haven. Rory was still in much the same condition. I reach out and grab her hand, she gives me a light squeeze back and I let out a sigh of relief. Rory was alright, well she was heavily in shock, but she just needed time for everything to sink in. We arrived home not long later and I help Rory out of the car. We got inside and I headed straight for the bedroom, none of our things were unpacked, but luckily Rory made the bed before we left.

I laid her down gently, took off her shoes and lay down next to her.

"Rory?" I ask her cautiously. "Are you alright? …Are you in there?"

Rory nodded her head solemnly.

"Can you piece together a sentence?" I ask her. "Maybe just a few words, huh?"

"Thank you," Rory says finally. "For standing up for me."

"Of course," I reply. "You're my fiancé and it's my job, you don't have to thank me for it."

"What about Yale?" Rory asks me concerned. "I don't want to take all your Truncheon money."

"Hey what's yours is mine," I reassure her. "And don't worry about it."

"But we'll need that money for rent and food," Rory says to me.

"I know," I tell her as I pull her over to me so that her head is resting on my chest. "How about I call up Richard, huh," I say mindlessly playing with her hair. "Get him to keep on paying the whole lot without Emily knowing, how about that?"

"Okay," Rory agrees. "But what about Grandma, I don't think that I can cut her out completely."

"Let's just play it by ear," I suggest. "See if she changes first, the ball is in her court. Let's just go to sleep and enjoy our first night on our own, no Lorelai, no Paris, just us."

* * *

**A/N- Review **


	22. Epilogue Part Two

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **Bubbly131, CatPhish, Curley-Q, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, kylielink, LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan, mittoots79, mizskitles220, musicchica10, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

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**Epilogue part 2/5**

**Enjoy**

**

* * *

**"Jess," Rory says stressed. "We're not going to make it."

"Yes we are," I reassure her as I make my way over to her. "Calm down Rory."

"It's the last issue," Rory replies still stressed. "We're graduating this week, we've got so much to do."

"Don't worry about the last issue of the Yale Daily News, it's not like it's our paper," I tell her rubbing up and down her arms gently. "And as for graduation, we'll figure it out after we get the last issue out, alright? Editior."

"Co-editor," Rory corrects finally smiling.

"Would you two get a room please?" Paris asked from her desk.

"Ah Paris I still see that you haven't gotten over Rory and I becoming the editors of the paper," I say smugly to her, remembering how pissed she was when we were chosen by Doyle to become the new editors. Paris was so pissed that she didn't sleep with Doyle a whole week. Now it was our turn to pass on the title of editor to someone else. We had no idea who to give it to, but as soon as Paris decided to stay at Yale to get her law degree, we decided that she deserved it. We were announcing it as soon as the last issue had been sent off to the printers. Rory and I spent two years as the editor and we loved every minute of it, it was going to be sad to move on, but it was time.

Graduation was upon us, Rory had spent the weeks up to it looking for a job, unsuccessfully unfortunately, which only stressed her out more. We had decided to move to Philly temporarily after graduation, whilst she kept looking for a job. I was happy that we were moving to Philly, I could finally be a part of Truncheon, actually be there on the front line. It seems like decades ago when I first met Matt and Chris, when I had handed them five grand just to get them to leave me alone, but Truncheon was doing well and making a good profit so it was a wise decision on my part. I had finished my first book and Chris was in the process of editing it, I was going to wait for the perfect moment to show it to Rory though, she still didn't know that I was writing it.

"There," Rory says breaking me out of my little day dream. "The layouts complete, time to email it to the printers."

There was a loud cheer from the group, and I wrapped my arms around Rory.

"We did it," I whispered in her ear as I kissed her on the cheek.

"Speech! Speech! Speech!" The group chanted and Rory immediately looked at me, she would never speak in front of everyone so I gladly took the challenge.

"Okay," I tell them. "Firstly well done to everyone for making the paper the best it could be for the past two years. Rory and I are going to miss running the paper, but it's time for us to move on to better and bigger things. Now before I announce who the next editor is, I would like to remind everyone of my favorite moment here at Yale Daily News."

There were a few giggles from the group, they all knew the story, but I was telling it regardless.

"It was a cold winter's day and appeared to be just like any other," I started dramatically.

"Jess," Rory says hitting me on the shoulder lightly.

"Let the boy speak," A sober Finn said from the group. Yes, Finn was sober, a year straight, it would have been two years, but his sister was in a terrible accident and he went straight for the bottle without thinking. His sister recovered thankfully and so did Finn. Finn wasn't actually on the paper but he said that he loved the hustle and bustle of the newsroom so he joined us quite frequently, that and he wanted to avoid Logan. Logan made a drunken pass at Rory one night whilst I was getting our drinks, I heard it across the room and was ready to run back and pummel him, but Finn beat me to it.

"Thank you Finn," I say to him sincerely, for the interruption and for everything else he's done in the past years. "So as I was saying it was a cold winter's day, just like any other, but it felt oddly different. I walked into the news room and was less than pleased to see that one Logan Huntzberger had decided to join us, which only meant one thing, that his father was making a little visit to Yale. And we all know how I don't have much patience for Logan and I believed that a little revenge was due."

I paused momentarily to let out a small laugh.

"So knowing that his father wouldn't be far away, as Logan didn't want to spend any extra time in the newsroom than necessary," I continue. "I thought what was better than criticizing his writing abilities and basically ripping him a new one in front of his father, and that's what I did. The look on daddy dearest's face was priceless, but not nearly as priceless as what came next. Yes dear old Mitchum offered me a job, said he was pleased with the new turns the paper had taken in the past year and that I would be a great asset to him. I respectfully declined, but we all know that I wanted to tell him to fuck off. Rory reprimanded me on giving up such a good opportunity, but I would never work for the Huntzberger's, I'd rather be poor and living on the streets with my girl before I went to work for them."

I grabbed Rory to me and kissed her gently on the mouth.

"And that my friends was how Logan Huntzberger got kicked off the paper," I tell them smugly. "Even his precious daddy couldn't get him back on. And that puts into place, that you need to enjoy your time here, make every moment worth living. This will be the time of your life you look back on and say to your kids look what I did."

"Yeah," The group clapped.

"Now to the matter of business at hand," I tell them seriously. "Rory and I spent days trying to figure out which one of you guys was going to be editor, we made up pro/con lists, well Rory did and I constantly mocked her. However we came up with a decision that we believe will keep the paper up to the high standard that it is. This person has worked closely with us and will put our practices in place for all the new and old people to come, plus we know where they live if they screw up. However because this person will have a heavy work load this next semester we are introducing a junior editor, the editor will have the final say, but can hand over all editing powers to the junior editor if they feel that they are too busy to get the paper out."

"Okay," Rory says finally deciding to speak. "We have named Bill as the junior editor."

Bill seemed excited, but slightly disappointed. I gave Rory a gentle squeeze, I knew that she would be feeling guilty that Bill was disappointed.

"And so that brings us to the editor," I tell them. "And we are pleased to announce that Paris Gellar is the new editor of the Yale Daily News."

No one clapped and I frowned at them.

"Paris is our final decision," I tell them. "We thought long and hard about this and she's the only one that we believe is up for the challenge. We have never steered you guys wrong before, so suck it up and act like the mature adults you should be."

"Thank you Rory and Jess," Paris tells us sincerely, well as sincerely as she got.

"We'll we're off," I say to them as I lead Rory to the door.

"Don't you want to go out for drinks?" Joni asks us as we passed her.

"No," I reply, we never went out for drinks. "Come on Finn," I tell him, he usually hung out at our place and if these guys were going to be drinking then I didn't want to leave him with them. Finn was graduating with us, he was supposed to graduate with his 'friends' but he didn't have enough credits, though I suspect that he just wanted to hang around Rory and I more, we were more of a friend to him then Logan and Colin ever were.

"When's Ryan coming?" Finn asks me excitedly.

"The day before graduation," I tell him. Ryan was four now, he could talk, walk and read practically perfectly, though he still decided to call me Jessie. Rory and I went down and visited him every weekend and he loved it, though with us moving to Philly we'd have to limit the visits to once a month, but Rory always told him that once we settled down completely that we would move to Stars Hollow to be with him. I used to cringe at the thought of that, but it would be good to be close to our family, however we're going to spend a few years in Philly first.

* * *

"Jessie!" Ryan screams coming into Rory and my apartment. "Jessie!" He looks around the room and spots Finn. "Finn!" Ryan yells changing course. "Finn!"

"Hey Ryan," I say sadly and he stops again. "Don't I get the first hug?"

He looks between Finn and I confused, and I glare at Finn telling him that Ryan better not run to him first. Finn takes my hint and goes into the kitchen with Rory.

"Jessie," Ryan says again and this time he actually comes and jumps in my arms.

"Hey bud," I say to him as I pick him up and hug him. "How have you been?"

"Good," Ryan answers excitedly. "Mommy gave me coffee, but ssshhh! Don't tell Daddy."

"I don't know about that," I say to Ryan seriously. "You shouldn't be drinking coffee, you're only four."

"Four and a half," Ryan replies proudly.

"Still too young to drink coffee," I tell him sternly. "Next time mommy offers you some I want you to say no, okay?"

"But," Ryan protests with his infamous Gilmore pout as he looks up at me. "Fine," He huffs when he can tell that I'm not kidding around. "Daddy," Ryan says excitedly as Luke comes up and pulls me into a one armed hug.

"How you been Jess?" Luke asks me.

"Good," I tell him.

"Daddy," Ryan says feeling left out. "Jessie taught me something."

"Oh yeah," Luke replies skeptically. "And what's that?"

"That I should say no if mommy offers me coffee again," Ryan says proudly, knowing how much his daddy didn't want him drinking coffee.

"Again?" Luke questioned Ryan. "You've had coffee before."

"Maybe," Ryan replies burying his head in my chest.

"You should be blaming Lorelai, not him," I tell Luke. "Where is Lorelai anyway?"

"Bathroom," Luke answers. "Looks like this pregnancy's taking a bigger toll on her bladder, we had to stop twice on the trip here."

"It's a half hour drive," I tell him in disbelief.

"Yeah well just wait until Rory gets pregnant," Luke tells me. "Then you'll see."

"Well I've still got a couple of years," I answer thankfully. "And by that time we should be in Stars Hollow so I'll just leave her at the diner for you to look after."

"Jess," Luke scolds. "You cannot leave your pregnant wife."

"Jess has a pregnant wife?" Rory questions confused coming into the living room.

"Rory," Ryan says happily reaching for her, and she took him off me.

"Yeah," Luke answers. "You, and he's going to leave you in the diner all day."

"It was a joke Luke," I try to tell him.

"Rory's pregnant?" Lorelai questions exiting the bathroom.

"No and she's not my wife either," I clarify as I sit down on the couch in defeat, I hate when the in-laws come around, but then again they were equally my family as they were Rory's. I was just thankful that Liz, TJ and Doula wouldn't be coming down until tomorrow. Then we'd just have to make it through graduation and then we could pack up and leave the lot of them.

* * *

"_Lorelai Leigh Gilmore… Jess Lucas Mariano…_"

"I'm so proud of you," Liz said after the graduation ceremony as she pulled me into a hug. "You're a college graduate, my boy's a college graduate, I can't believe it."

I knew that there were many things in Liz's statement that I could correct her on, but I just smiled through it. She sounded proud and she may have nothing to do with my accomplishments, but at least she was finally proud, so I took what I could.

"Well done Jess," Ryan says to me as I pick him up and frown at him. "What?" Ryan asks me confused.

"You called me Jess," I tell him confused, he always called me Jessie, I thought that I would never be able to live it down. Ryan looked at me, taking in my words and just shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh Rory," Lorelai says as she brings her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks mom," Rory replies pulling out of the hug.

"But," Lorelai protests. "Do you really have to move to Philadelphia?"

"Yes," Rory answers happily. "Jess' work is there."

"Are you taking Milo with you?" Ryan asks me.

"Sure am," I tell him. "But don't worry you still have Paul Anka at home to play with."

His face brightened up at the mention of Paul Anka. Lorelai had gotten a dog shortly after we left because Ryan kept repeating the word dog over and over again, and she finally relented, though you could tell that the dog was for her as much as it was for him.

"Well we're going home," I tell them putting Ryan on the ground and putting my arm around Rory.

"But we've got to celebrate," Lorelai protests.

"We did," I tell her. "We walked across the stage, listened to the speeches, you guys said how proud you were of us, now we're going to go home and enjoy the last day in our apartment."

"Fine, you're adults," Lorelai relents. "We should probably head over to Hartford for Friday Night Dinner anyway."

"Yeah good luck with that," I scoff. We still weren't on speaking terms with Emily. I didn't really care, Rory did, but it didn't bother her much anymore. I knew that Rory would want her at the wedding regardless, but we'd deal with that when our wedding was actually in the foreseeable future. We met Richard every week, but because we were moving to Philly it was changing to a weekly phone call and a visit once every two months when we were in town.

"Well we'll see you the next time we see you," Lorelai says sadly bringing us into a hug. "Call me everyday, twice a day. Call me if anything happens and I don't care how minor."

"We will," Rory tells her mother. "We'll see you all when we come back to the Hollow."

I smiled at Rory, she was finally using my terminology for Stars Hollow, The Hollow.

"Bye Jess," Liz says as she pulls me into another hug, and then pulls Rory into a hug. "Good luck with everything in Philadelphia."

"Sure," I tell her. "Bye, and bye-bye Ryan."

"Bye Jess," Ryan says happily as I pick him up and he gave me a big kiss on my cheek. He was a good kid and he knew that when Rory and I said goodbye that we would always be back. I was exceptionally thankful that the kid didn't have bad separation anxiety. "Bye Rory."

"Bye Ryan," Rory replies kissing him on the cheek.

"Congratulations again," Luke says to us.

"Sure," I reply sincerely as I put my arm around Rory and lead her away.

"You can celebrate with me," I hear Finn tell them excitedly behind us, and I could hear them all respectfully decline and part ways.

"Oh Jess," Finn says running up to us. "Can I crash at your place one more night?"

"Of course, well as long as you stay out of our way," I tell him. Finn had been practically living with us for the past couple of years anyway. He'd come and go as he pleased, but we learned to live around him, he was just like Milo in many ways. He was good company, but not really there, he respected our privacy so we let him come over whenever he wanted.

"I will," Finn says excitedly as he runs ahead of us. In a way Finn was Rory and my child, albeit a fully grown man child, but he still needed guidance throughout life, needed someone to keep him out of trouble and we did that for him. Finn wanted to move to Philly with us, but in the end he decided to head back to Australia to be with his family, and especially his little sister for a bit. He told us not to be surprised if he comes into Truncheon one day and ask for a place to stay, and we'd never be able to deny him.

"What are you thinking about?" Rory asks me.

"Finn," I tell her truthfully. "I have no doubt that he will follow us everywhere, just you wait until we're sixty and we're all bitter and hanging out in Luke's diner, and everyone's there, Luke would be still behind the counter pushing eighty-five."

"God he would be behind the counter, wouldn't he," Rory says picturing it in her head. "And you're right Finn would be there with us, but I couldn't imagine it any other way."

"Me either," I agree with her as I pull her into a hug and give her a kiss on the cheek much like Ryan's. She tries to kiss me on the mouth, but I just smirk at her before running ahead and following Finn into our apartment.

* * *

**A/N- Sorry for the wait, I plan on getting the last three chapters out in the next three days, so review **


	23. Epilogue Part Three

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **blueguju, Bubbly131, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, kylielink, LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan, mizskitles220, smartbookworm, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

**Disclaimer- Not Mine**

**Epilogue part 3/5**

**Enjoy**

**

* * *

**"Honey I'm home," Rory announces coming into our apartment.

"Kitchen," I call out to her as I cook us dinner.

"Mmm," Rory says sitting down at the kitchen table. "That smells good."

"Lasagna," I tell her proudly, I was so happy when I found out that she liked lasagna just as much as I did. "Have a good day at work?" I ask her.

"I guess," Rory muttered. Rory worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer, she was actually offered the job the day after we moved into out new apartment in Philly. She started out as an intern, but they quickly realized her potential and now a year and a half down the track she is the assistant editor. Which basically means that she does all the editing because the editor is the too slack to do it himself, but she enjoys it. She doesn't even care that she could be getting paid extra if she worked as an editor for another paper, and she had plenty of offers, but turned them all down with the same excuse, that she would be happily living in Stars Hollow soon enough.

I pulled the lasagna out of the oven and sat it to cool for a bit before I went behind Rory and gave her shoulders a massage, she relaxed immediately into my touch. I focused on relieving her days stress and let my mind wander back over the past year and a half. We moved to Philly right after graduation, Matt and Chris were elated and quickly welcomed us. We loved it here, but decided not to get too attached because we knew that we were only going to be here for no more than five years.

We visited Ryan once a month like we promised and he was now six, he was growing up too fast. Rory and I quickly took the roles as his siblings and even though he questioned us about being cousins we quickly set him straight. We were both close to Ryan and he sometimes spent the weekend down here with Rory and I. Ryan asked about Finn constantly, but we hadn't seen him since he left after graduation, he sometimes called us, but we went our separate ways. We still knew that we would meet up again one day, and were surprised to find out recently that Finn was now living in Hartford with his younger sister, he promised to visit us next time we were in Stars Hollow.

Lorelai had her second child, another baby boy, she tried to call him Lorelai, but Luke wouldn't let her, so she settled on Nathan Finn. The name Finn because Finn helped her deliver Ryan, and I have no idea why she called him Nathan, but it was quickly shortened to Nate. So Ryan was six and Nate was just about one. I grew close to Nate as well and Ryan got jealous, Rory quickly became his new favorite sibling for a while, but he realized how stupid he was being and decided to love us all equally, which was pretty cute to watch him realize all this.

Jimmy, Sasha and Lily had visited us after we moved in. They were sorry that they missed my graduation, but they told me how proud they were of me anyway. Lily visited every three months or so, and decided to attend a college nearby so that we could get to know each other better. She loved Rory, they all did, I knew that they would. She crashed at our place for a few months and Rory and I loved it, it was like having Finn back again, it gave us someone to look after. When Lily moved into the dorms the topic of having a child came up again, and we mutually decided not to try for a baby until we were married.

And we were getting married. I proposed over six years ago, but a date had been set and it was less than a week away. We got Emily on board. Rory wanted her involved, she also wanted someone else to plan it so that she could relax with me, so she decided to call up Emily. She told her what she wanted and she knew that Emily would go overboard, but it was just a piece of paper to us, we had been together for nine years. We were practically living as a married couple the day she came back from Washington when she was seventeen and we lived in the same house, so it didn't matter to us. We'd let Emily have her fun.

"Better?" I ask Rory as I stop massaging her shoulders and dish out the lasagna.

"Definitely," Rory replies dreamily. "So are Matt and Chris doing anything?"

"Anything for what?" I ask her confused as I sit down at the table adjacent to her.

"Your bachelor party," Rory clarifies. "Mom's planned something for me in Stars Hollow."

"Stars Hollow?" I question confused.

"Yeah," Rory replies amused. "It's where our wedding's being held."

"Really?" I question her, I never really put any thought into where our wedding would take place, but having it in Stars Hollow does make sense. "I guess we'll be seeing Finn earlier than expected then."

"Where'd you think our wedding was going to be held?" Rory asks me still amused.

"I don't know," I reply truthfully. "It could have been on Mars and I wouldn't have cared as long as you were standing there next to me."

"Apart from the fact that it wouldn't even be plausible to have our wedding on Mars," Rory explains to me. "That was sweet Jess."

"Fine Stars Hollow it is," I say quickly, I still felt uncomfortable when she said I did something sweet, it didn't sit right with me, but after all these years it was finally growing on me… a little. "As long as we don't end up in Brian's mom's basement like Lane's did, then I'm sure I can be persuaded into a bachelor party."

"Yay," Rory says excitedly bouncing in her chair. "But no strippers."

"It's Stars Hollow," I remind her. "They don't have strippers, the closest we would get is a naked Kirk running through the town experiencing one of his night terrors, and knowing my luck that would happen."

"You're right," Rory agrees. "When are we heading to Stars Hollow then? The wedding is on Friday, that's only five days away Jess."

"I know," I tell her as I grab her hand across the table. "We'll leave tomorrow, I know how much you miss everyone."

"Yes," Rory chants excitedly as she jumps into my lap and kisses me.

"Food," I say to her as I pile my fork with food and shove it into her mouth. "Now go back to your seat and stop eating my lasagna."

"You gave it to me," Rory says as she pouts and stays on my lap.

"How about we pack now?" I ask Rory. "You're too wired to eat or sleep anyway."

"Yes," Rory says finally getting off my lap and running to the bedroom.

* * *

"Jess," Ryan says excitedly as we pulled up in front of the diner. He hadn't called me Jessie since the day of the graduation, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't miss it. Something must have shifted in his mind that day, I wanted to ask him, but I never did… probably afraid of what he would say, but that was stupid he was only four at the time. Even if I did ask him now he probably wouldn't even remember, but it had been plaguing my mind for the past year and a half, so I figured why not ask him.

"Hey buddy," I say kneeling down on the ground in front of him, he was a big boy now and he didn't like me picking him up anymore than necessary, so I always got down to his level. "Mind if I ask you a question Ry?"

"No," Ryan answers happily.

"Why'd you stop calling me Jessie?" I ask him tentatively. "Do you remember that you used to call me that?" He nods his head. "Why don't you call me it anymore? … I miss you calling me it."

Ryan looks down embarrassed.

"Hey," I say pulling his face up so that he is looking at me. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I heard Mommy say that you didn't like it," Ryan confesses sadly. "So I didn't want to upset you. So when you were moving away with Ror, I called you Jess, cause even if you were upset you were leaving anyway."

"Oh Ry," I say pulling him into a hug. "I didn't hate it. Yes I don't like people calling me Jessie and the only two that I have ever let me call it are two of the most important people in my life, you and Rory."

"So what do I call you?" Ryan asks me timidly.

"Whatever you want," I tell him and he gets a mischievous glint in his eyes, that look was never good.

"Horsey," Ryan says to me as he jumps on my back. "Giddy up Horsey."

"This is not what I meant," I tell Ryan as I grab his legs and stand up fully.

"Horses cannot walk on two legs," Ryan reprimands me.

"Maybe I'm a special horse," I tell him, there was no way I was going to crawl around on my hands and knees in front of the diner, I don't care how much I loved the kid. "How's Nate?" I ask him heading up the diner steps.

"Good," Ryan answers. "He said his first word the other day."

"And what was it?" I ask him.

"Coffee," Ryan answered with a straight face.

"What?" I ask him slightly furious as I put him down.

"Only kidding," Ryan tells me amused as he runs inside the diner, the kid would be the death of me, he was the spitting personality of Lorelai, and he didn't even have the coffee in him to fuel him on yet.

"Mate you are whipped," I hear Finn behind me and I immediately turn around.

"Hey Finn," I say excitedly as he pulls me into an unexpected hug. "How have you been?"

"Good," Finn answers. "Australia was great, but I missed you guys."

"Now who's whipped?" I ask him and he just smiles back.

"Jess," Rory says coming out of the diner not noticing Finn yet. "Mom told me to come check and make sure that you weren't sulking after what Ryan said… oh Finn!" Rory says excitedly as she spots him and gives him a bone crushing hug. "Don't leave again."

"Not without you love," Finn tells Rory sincerely. "Or you either Kitten," He directs at me.

I glare at him, but he just blew me a kiss back.

* * *

We were well into our bachelor parties or whatever the hell it was called, and I was right, we shouldn't have had them in Stars Hollow. We weren't in Brian's mom's basement, but we were in our equivalent, Luke's diner. It's not that I minded much, as I had a slightly tipsy Rory sitting in my lap. I didn't drink because I wanted Finn to have someone to stay sober with, but even Finn had a couple. He had apparently learnt some self restraint back in Australia and could now enjoy a couple of drinks without needed to get plastered.

I glanced around the diner at all our family and friends. Matt and Chris were doing shots and were fairly plastered having some argument about poetry. Finn was trying to corrupt Lily, well that was what it looked like from here. Liz, TJ, Jimmy and Sasha had been excluded from the parties, so the only parents here were Luke and Lorelai. Rory's dad said he was going to be at the wedding, but I hadn't seen him since I spun him and his girlfriend of the time Sherry the story of me murdering Dean out the front of Doose's, so there was a strong possibility that he wouldn't even show up.

Lorelai and Sookie were drunk, along with Miss Patty and Babette. Lane was trying in vain to get them to stop drinking, but they didn't want to listen. I was just glad that Lorelai was keeping herself in check, she tended to get a little vocal when drunk. I was kind of wishing that she was pregnant by the time our wedding came around, that way she wouldn't be able to get drunk, but no such luck. I would just have to pray that she would behave herself during our wedding and reception.

Richard was in the corner talking to Paris about something that looked intense, but she wasn't angry and I think Richard would be able to defend himself, so they appeared to be fine. We debated whether or not to invite Emily, but in the end we decided to ask her if she would look after Ryan and Nate, she agreed. Rory felt a little sad that she would be missing the festivities, but I reassured her that Emily would get her part once she saw us walk down the aisle to her perfectly planned wedding.

The wedding thankfully wasn't until the day after tomorrow, so everyone would be sobered up by then, I hoped. Rory was falling asleep on me, so I decided to call it a night. I said my goodbyes to everyone and set home with Rory still asleep in my arms. I walked up the porch steps and was met by Emily. I brushed past her and put Rory down on her old bed, which had became our bed whenever we stayed over. I smiled down at her, she was legally going to be my wife in less than 48 hours, I couldn't be happier. I moved a stray piece of hair away from her face and gave her a sweet kiss on her forehead.

"You really do love her," Emily says to me from the doorway.

"Of course," I answer somewhat bitter, Emily never supported our union.

"I'm sorry," Emily says so quiet that I was sure I had imagined it, but then she continued. "I thought Rory deserved someone better, someone how would love her and put her needs before their own, she deserved only the best… I was too blind to see that she had already found all those things in you… I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," I respond blankly, I had no idea what I was supposed to say, so I settled on the only thing that would make Emily feel better. I heard Emily walk away and I sighed, if only Rory had heard her grandmother's words. I looked back to Rory and she had a smile on her face, maybe she was still half awake, I hoped so because she would never believe me if I told her that Emily apologized and basically accepted me into the family… into Rory's heart.

* * *

We walked down the aisle, said our 'I do's', all that. It just blew by, I spent the whole time focusing on my beautiful wife standing in front of me…. Yes, wife, I could finally call her that, I relished in that fact and called her my wife whenever I could. The wedding was extravagant to say the least, but it was also simple. It fit Rory and me pretty perfectly and I had wondered if Emily had accepted me a while ago, and even then she would have had to talk to Richard to get the wedding this perfect for us.

I spun Rory around on the dance floor. I had this massive grin on my face, it had been there for days, and only grew wider once we signed the marriage license. I was glad that we were finally married after all this time, but I knew that having children would come next and I was a little scared. Sure I seemed fine with Ryan and Nate, but something tells me with it actually being my child I would end up screwing it up. I didn't want to bring a child into this world just so I could screw it up, just like I had been screwed up. But I was lucky, I found Rory and she basically fixed me, it was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. I don't know how things would have turned out if I had never met Rory at that record store in Hartford on my way to Stars Hollow, but I decided not to dwell on it, life was perfect, and I wasn't going to ruin it by over analyzing every little thing.

The reception blew by. There was speeches spoke, food eaten, drinks drunken, dances danced, but it all whizzed past me. I only had my eyes on Rory all night, but it didn't worry me that I was missing this monumental day in our life, because Kirk was videotaping it, so surely I would be able to watch it over and over again. Show it to my kids, then to their kids… well if we had kids. Rory wanted kids, so there was no way out of it, but I'd have to voice my fears to her about it sometime, she'd be the only one able to soothe my worries.

* * *

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	24. Epilogue Part Four

**A/N- Thanks for all your reviews- **blueguju, Bubbly131, Curley-Q, Hpluvr7, Jeremy Shane, kylielink, LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan, SoManyObsessions, toastloaf93- **I really appreciate them**

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**Epilogue part 4/5**

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* * *

**"Jess?" I hear Rory ask nervously and I look up from behind the counter at Truncheon. What was she doing here? It was the middle of the day.

"Rory?" I ask her concerned. "Why aren't you at work? Are you alright?"

"Relatively," Rory answers still nervous.

"Rory, you're scaring me here," I tell her honestly as I move from behind the counter and pull her into a hug. "What's going on?"

"I'm… we're… having a baby," Rory finally blurts out.

"Really?" I ask her excitedly as I lift her off the ground. "This is good news… it is good news isn't it?"

"Maybe for you," Rory replies looking down at the ground.

"What do you mean?" I ask her confused as I lift her head back up so that she is looking at me.

"You're great with Ryan and Nate," Rory tells me. "They both love you… but me… I don't think that I would make a great mother."

"You would Rory," I try to reassure her. "I told you how I was afraid that I would screw our kid up just like my parents screwed me up, but I know now that I won't, and you will be a great mother, I know that for a fact. Both Ryan and Nate love you. Ryan might not show it at the moment, the kid did skip the terrible two's, he's just throwing his tantrums now, think of it as egotistical eight's. He just thinks that he's number one, that he can get whatever he wants, and that he doesn't need anyone in this world to help him out."

"Egotistical eight's?" Rory questions me with a small smile.

"Yes," I tell her, happy that she was at least smiling. "I think the size of Ryan's head doubled in the last year, but he'll come around eventually."

"I hope ours doesn't go through their own egotistical eight's," Rory replies.

"Ours," I ask her hoping that I'm not reading too much into her statement.

"Yes, ours," Rory says full on smiling. "We can do this, well as long as I have you by my side that is."

"I'll be here," I reassure her. "So does this mean that we can jump up and down from the excitement and joy now?"

"You can jump up and down," Rory tells me putting emphasis on the word you.

"Come on, it's no fun when you don't do it with me," I try to persuade her, she rolls her eyes, and I jump up and down with her hands in mine and she soon joins in. "I'm so happy," I whisper in her ear. "I love you so much Rory Gilmore."

"Whoa Matt," Chris says from somewhere behind us. "Call the ambulance, either one of them is choking or we'll need a psych consult for Jess, best to be prepared."

"Who died?" Matt asked us and I stopped jumping up and down to glare at him.

"Nobody died," I tell him. "Rory's pregnant."

"With your child?" Matt asks me. "Are you sure that's genetically safe?"

"Shut up Matt," I retort. "Chris you have anything idiotic to add."

"Are you sure you should be jumping up and down like that?" Chris asks Rory concerned. "Something tells me that it wouldn't be good for the little one."

"We need to research this baby stuff," I say seriously to Rory. "Find out things, like if jumping up and down in celebration is acceptable."

"And no alcohol," Matt tells her. "Looks like you won't be going to Cedar's with us anymore."

"The Truncheon bar?" Rory questions in mock confusion. "Oh no, how will I survive."

"Don't worry," I tell Rory. "They stock non alcoholic drinks, and I'll quit with you."

"You don't drink as it is?" Matt replies confused.

"I have a couple," I respond. "I'm just smart enough not to get shit faced like the two of you."

"Thank you Jess," Rory says bringing me into a hug. "You truly are the best."

"Why thank you," I reply.

"Now let's get that baby book," Rory says to me excitedly. "Do you have any here? This is a bookstore after all."

"Why would we need pregnancy books?" Matt asks us confused.

"I'll take that as a no," I say to Rory as I put my arm around her. "Come on there's another bookstore in the next block."

"Hey," Matt protests behind us. "You cannot go to the opposition, Jess! This is unacceptable."

"Hmm, we're going to have to move to the Hollow soon," I tell Rory as we leave Truncheon. "I am not letting our kid grow up around them two."

"Our kid," Rory says happily out loud. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

"And that's the head," The ultra sound technician Jenny tells us. This was our six month ultra sound, the baby was actually beginning to look like a baby.

"It's got a big head," Rory says in awe.

"Not as big as Ryan's," I tell her and she lets out a small laugh. Ryan was still acting like a egotistical eight year old, it was getting close to a year now, we're hoping that when he turns nine he'll snap out of it, but our hope's slowly fading.

"Who's Ryan?" Jenny asks us happily.

"Our little brother," I answer her. "He's nearly nine."

"Brother?" Jenny questions confused. "He's your brother… both of you."

"Yes," I answer simply, but Rory decides to explain it to her.

"Jess' uncle married my mom," Rory tells her. "So technically they would be cousins, but with Jess and I being as close as we are we just refer to them as our brothers."

"I see," Jenny says visibly relaxing. "I was afraid that you two were related for a minute there."

"Well we are," I tell her. "Just not blood related, and in our defense we got together before my uncle and her mother."

"Still confusing," Jenny replies. "So how many siblings do you have?"

"Just Ryan and Nathan with my mom and Luke," Rory explains. "Oh, but then there's April, Luke's daughter from a past girlfriend, that was a shock, but she's fairly close to us now."

"And what about your side Jess?" Jenny asks me.

"There's Doula who's my half sister," I tell her. "And Lily, who's not blood related, but her mom married my dad. Then there's also Amelia, my mom Liz adopted her about seven years ago… she used to be my best friend… we're slowly working things out, or according to everyone else they're just waiting for me to get my head out of my ass."

"Oh and then there's Gigi," Rory interjects. "She's my step sister, my dad's child."

"Well you managed to confuse me more than I already was," Jenny replies genuinely confused. "As long as you all know who's related and who's not… do you want to find out the sex of this one, the newest addition to your massive family."

"What do you think Jess?" Rory asks me.

"I think we should wait," I tell her. I'd been thinking about it for a while now and I really wanted it to be a surprise. "But if you want to know I'll leave the room."

"No, no," Rory says. "If you're going to wait, then I'll wait too… it will make it that more special."

* * *

"How about Edward?" I ask Rory whilst going through the baby name book. Rory was nine months pregnant and ready to give birth any day now, and we still hadn't picked out a name for the baby yet. But we had moved to the Hollow, so at least we had our family around to support us.

"I'm not naming our baby after a vampire," Rory replies.

"I can't help that you were obsessed with Edward Cullen," I tell her amused. "I remember you making me act as Edward for one of your fantasies."

"Jess," Rory scolds me. "The baby will hear you."

"So that's a no on Edward?" I ask her and she nods her head. "Am I safe to say that any other character in Twilight is off limits too?"

"Yes, and don't mock me," Rory tells me. "You were just as obsessed with those books as I was."

"What can I say," I say sarcastically to her. "Vampires are just soooo hot."

"What about Lorelai?" Rory asks me for the fiftieth time.

"We're not calling our kid Lorelai and especially not if it's a boy," I tell her. "How about Katherine?"

"No," Rory replies quickly. "People will call her Kat, it makes her sound like a cat… and that was a pussy cat, just incase I confused you there."

"No, I got it," I tell her as I let out a sigh and close the book. "That's it," I tell her defiantly. "I am going to turn on the TV and the first name we hear is what we're going to call our child."

"Okay," Rory agrees and I turn on the TV, she immediately laughs at the first name we hear. "We are not calling our child Dr. Phil," Rory tells me still laughing.

"This is stupid," I tell her switching off the TV. "We need a name, now. There must be a logical way to do this."

"How about Dexter?" Rory asks me trying to keep her face straight.

"Oh yeah," I agree. "And then he can grow up to be a serial killer and kill us all."

"Dexter only kills murderers," Rory clarifies for me and I glare at her.

"I've got it," I tell her as I grab the phone and start dialing. "Whatever name your mom answers the phone as will be our child's name."

"Jess that won't work," Rory tells me but I hold the phone to my ear anyway.

"Sissy's house of wild boar, how may I help you?" Lorelai greets.

"Did it work?" Rory asks me curiously.

"Did what work?" Lorelai asks me confused. "Is that you Rory?"

"It didn't work," I tell Rory. "Well unless you want our daughter to be called Sissy."

"Told you it wouldn't work," Rory gloats.

"Hey Lorelai put Nate on the phone," I tell her.

"Hello to you too," Lorelai says in mock hurt.

"Hello Lorelai," I greet her. "Put Nate on."

"Why?" Lorelai questions me.

"He's going to pick the name of our child," I tell her.

"Jess," I hear six year old Nate say into the phone.

"Hey little brother," I greet him. "You're at school aren't you?"

"Yeah," Nate answers excitedly.

"What's the name of your best friend?" I ask him hopefully.

"Jess," He answers happily.

"That's my name," I tell him confused.

"I know," Nate replies. "That's because you are my best friend."

"Oh well, nice talking to you Nate put mommy back on," I tell him slightly frustrated. "I think we should go for Twilight names," I say to Rory in the meantime. "How about Mason Brandon for a boy and, I don't know, Elizabeth Kate?"

"You're a genius Jess," Rory tells me. "And I may just be saying that because I cannot spend any more time picking out stupid baby names."

"Hello?" Lorelai says to me.

"Oh, bye Lorelai," I tell her. "Crisis averted we've picked out the names."

"Oh, what are they?" Lorelai asks excitedly.

"Ah Jess," Rory says to me. "I think my water just broke."

"Oh shit, Lorelai I've got to go, Rory's water just broke," I tell her hurriedly. "Meet us at Hartford General." I hang up the phone. "This is it," I tell Rory as I lead her out of our house and into our car. "I have a feeling that the baby was just waiting for us to pick its name."

"Jess," Rory yells at me. "Just get me to the hospital."

* * *

"Here's your baby girl, Mr. Mariano," The nurse says to me as she hands me my daughter, Elizabeth Kate.

"Hello Elizabeth."

"Jess," Rory says to me exhausted and I walk over to her bed side. "Can we really call our child after Twilight characters? Doesn't it seem a little… tacky?"

"It's not like we called her Isabella with the idea of nicknaming her Bella," I tell Rory. "Plus the name we pick won't even be associated with Twilight, trust me. And now you have you're Edward Cullen and your Resnesmee."

"Oh jeez," Rory lets out a frustrated sigh. "I refer to you as my Edward Cullen once and I haven't heard the end of it yet. It's just the same as me calling you my Romeo."

"No it's not," I tell her rocking my baby girl gently. "Edward was inhumanely beautiful whereas Romeo wasn't... plus there's that whole thing with how Romeo can be killed and Edward can't."

"Knock, knock," Lorelai says coming through the door. "So what is it, a boy or a girl… or is it an it?"

"An it?" I question her confused.

"Come on," Lorelai says to me knowingly. "It's your kid Jess, it could be an alien for all we know."

"Well it's not," I tell her. "I would like to introduce you all to our daughter, Elizabeth Kate."

"My name's Elizabeth," Liz says excitedly as she enters with the others. "Did you name her after me Jess?" I turn to Rory to see what I should say, it kind of slipped my mind that my mothers name was Elizabeth, especially with her being called Liz and all.

"We sure did," Rory lied, and quite impressively if you ask me. "Jess just wanted the name to be special."

"Sure did," I reply handing my baby girl over to Rory.

"So what was the name if it was boy?" Lorelai asks us excitedly. "Is it Lorelai?"

"No," I tell her. "And you'll just have to wait and see when we have a boy."

"So you're going to have another child?" Liz asks us excitedly.

"I… I…" I falter turning my attention to Rory, we never really discussed how many we were going to have, and maybe she only wanted one, I saw how much pain she went through this time round.

"We'll have another," Rory tells them. "But not until this one here is at least three."

"Are you going to call it Luke?" Lorelai asks us and Luke smiles at me apologetically.

"Three years of name guessing," I say to Rory. "Can't we just tell her now?"

"Fine," Rory relents and Lorelai jumps up and down excitedly.

"Mason Brandon," I tell her proudly.

"Mason?" Lorelai questions. "That's odd."

"I think it's a good name," Luke tells us. "Congratulations Rory and Jess."

"Thanks Luke," I say to him.

"I'm tired… Jess?" Rory asks me and I take Elizabeth off her.

"Here," I say handing Elizabeth to Finn.

"Really?" Finn questions excitedly. "You're letting me hold her… your own child, you wouldn't even let me hold someone else's child."

"You earned it," I tell Finn honestly. "But be sure to pass her around, I'm sure the grandma's would like to have a hold."

"Hey," Lorelai protests at being called grandma.

"Will do mate," Finn says as he leaves the room with Elizabeth and the rest followed him out.

"I love you," I tell Rory as I lie down on her bed next to her and kiss her on the cheek.

"I love you too," Rory replies as she rests her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you for making Liz happy," I say to Rory as I put my arm around her. "Thank you for lying, but most of all thank you for giving me my baby girl."

"She is going to grow up and be a daddy's girl, isn't she?" Rory asks me tiredly.

"I hope so," I tell her. "I'm looking forward to being able to love someone else fully, and she has to love me regardless because I'm her father."

"You could love other people in your life," Rory tells me sleepily. "You could love Ryan and Nate."

"I love you, only you," I tell Rory truthfully.

I never liked to get close to people, but I knew that I would be able to get close to my daughter, and I was looking forward to that most of all. Love was a beautiful thing and I wanted to share it with my daughter, teach her to love everyone and everything, but most of all teach her everything that I wish I had been taught.

* * *

**A/N- One chapter left**

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	25. Epilogue Part Five

"Kate get your butt down here now," I yell from downstairs. Kate or Elizabeth technically, was our eldest daughter, she was sixteen.

"Dad," Kate says to me on her way down. "Don't use the word butt, seriously."

"Fine, where's your sisters?" I ask her.

"Hell if I know," Kate replies with a smirk on her face.

"Don't let you mother hear you using that language," I warn her as I pull her into a hug.

"Elizabeth," Rory says coming down the stairs.

"You've done it now," I tell Kate.

"What?" Kate asks Rory nervously.

"Did you tie your sisters up?" Rory asks her and she just smirks back, she really was too much like me.

"Maybe," Kate replies. "And my name's Kate, not Elizabeth."

"See we should have called her Katherine," I tell Rory amused. "Kate is short for Katherine."

"Jess go upstairs and untie our other daughters," Rory tells me sternly. "You were the one who taught Kate how to tie knots after all."

"I'm sorry mom," I hear Kate apologize behind me as I make my way up the stairs. "Didn't you ever want to tie up Ryan and Nate? This is just the same as that."

"Hello?" I ask as I knock on my girl's bedroom door.

"Dad," I hear there muffled screams from behind their makeshift gags and let out a small laugh.

"Erin what did you do to get into this mess?" I ask my second eldest daughter as I pull the gag from her mouth.

"Nothing daddy, I swear," Twelve year old Erin replies smiling up at me.

"And you Emma?" I ask my youngest next, she was only eight and she had her strong morals like Rory, so I knew that she would answer me truthfully if I asked her. "Why'd Kate tie you up?"

"Because Erin read her diary," Emma tells me as I begin to untie them. "She read it out to me. Nate and her went to some party with alco…ma-hol."

"Its alcohol sweetie," I tell Emma as I finish untying her hands, she always had trouble saying that word, but she always tried to say it, she never avoided it, and I loved that about her.

"You're not mad?" Erin asks me confused. "But Uncle Finn told us all those stories of drinking, Kate shouldn't be allowed to drink, it's bad for her."

"You said Kate went to a party where there was drinking," I tell them. "That doesn't mean that she was drinking, and if she was then your mother and I will deal with it accordingly."

"I'm free," Emma rejoices as she stands up.

"Come on," I say to them. "We're heading to the diner for lunch."

"Is Ryan back yet?" Erin asks me excitedly.

"Yeah, I heard he came in this morning," I tell her as I lead them out of the house. "He won't be staying for long though."

Ryan was twenty-three. He finished college with a degree in psychology and was currently living in New York. He was helping troubled teens there, which was completely ironic with my past and all, but I'm sure that if I had someone like him to help me out back when I was sixteen then maybe I would have had a better childhood.

"Daddy move your butt," Emma tells me pulling me towards the diner. "You're a slow poke today."

I looked ahead and noticed that Erin was already in the diner.

"Emma," I tell her as I pick her up. "You know better than to call daddy names," I tell her jokingly as I put her on my shoulders.

"Daddy!" She shrieks holding onto my head tightly. "Don't drop me."

"Never," I promise her as I spin around in a circle.

"Daddy!" Emma says whilst laughing. "Put me down, please."

"Alright, alright," I relent as I put her down on the diner steps, and usher her inside.

"Jess," Ryan greets me outside the diner.

"Hey," I respond as I turn around and make my way back down the steps. "Nate, Happy Birthday, eighteen right?"

"That's right," Nate replies nervously.

"I hear you took Kate to a party," I say to him. "I hope that there was no drinking involved."

"I'm not going to lie to you," Nate tells me and then stops.

"How many?" I ask him knowingly. "For the both of you."

"Hmm Kate had one I believe," Nate replies regretfully. "And I lost count somewhere along the line, but your girl looked after me, never let me out of her sight."

"You're her uncle," I reply trying to get it all to sink in. "You should have been looking after her not the other way around."

"Jess," Ryan says putting a comforting hand on my shoulder to calm me down. "Nathan we'll discuss this further later."

"Whatever," Nate replies going into the diner.

"ELIZABETH KATE MARIANO!" We hear Rory yell once the door opened, hopefully Kate had came clean to her. I looked up to the door and Nate was trying to leave without any of them noticing.

"Get in there," I tell him.

"Come on Jess," Nate pleads from the doorway. "You cannot feed me to the lions."

"You thought that it was a good idea to take her to a party," Ryan says to his younger brother. "So you have to deal with the consequences."

"Fine," Nate huffs. "But when I turn twenty-one I'm out of here."

Ryan let out a small laugh.

"Don't you laugh Mr. Egotistical Eight's," I mock him.

"Do you have to keep on bringing that back up?" Ryan asks me.

"You know Emma's eight," I tell him. "And she's an angel."

"I'm sorry," Ryan says. "I've psycho analyzed myself and the only thing I can come us with is that I was a dick."

"And is that your professional opinion?" I ask him sarcastically. "Did you put all your degrees and knowledge to work to figure that one out… I could've told you that, Rory could've told you that."

"Alright settle down," Ryan tells me. "Don't want you to have a hernia."

"Well it's good that I've got a doctor with me then isn't it?" I question him. "So how's New York treating you?"

"Good," Ryan replies a big smile on his face. "And thank you for recommending Washington Square Park, it does seem to be more peaceful than Central Park."

"Out now!" Luke yells as he pulls Nate out of the diner. "I can't believe you."

"Dad," Ryan says going over to him. "Let me handle this please."

"Sure," Luke gruffly replies. "Beat him if you have to, I want him to realize that what he did was wrong."

"I said that I'm sorry dad," Nate pleads. "It won't happen again."

"Come on Nathan," Ryan says as he puts his arm around his younger brother. "We'll be back."

"So how's it going in there?" I ask Luke concerned.

"Kate told Rory the whole story and she's been grounded her for a month," Luke explains. "Stick by Rory when you go in there Jess, don't let Kate's sulking get to you."

"Of course," I agree with him and then enter the diner and sit down next to Rory.

"Did you hear what happened?" Rory asks me.

"I did," I answer and then turn my attention to Kate. "I hope you know that it was wrong, and that you should always tell your mother and me where you are at all times."

"I know it was wrong, but I went to look out for Nate," Kate tries to explain. "Someone needs to look out for him when he goes to these parties."

"You're right," I agree with her and Rory gives me a warning glance. "But that didn't mean that you had to drink and that still didn't mean that you couldn't have told us where you were. Your punishment still stands and no cell phone for a week, hand it over."

"Come on dad," Kate pleads and I give her my 'you don't want to mess with me look'. "Fine," She relents and then hands her phone over to me.

"Thank you Jess," Rory whispers in my ear.

"She needs to learn," I whisper back to Rory simply as I grab her hand in mine. "Now Erin and Emma," I start on them two now. "No more reading of Kate's diary, that's her personal thoughts and I don't want either of you going anywhere near it."

"Okay," They agree.

"Thank you dad," Kate says to me. "And I really am sorry mom."

"I know," Rory replies. "Just learn from your mistakes."

"I will," Kate agrees happily.

"Oh this is good," Finn says coming into the diner, book in hand, my first book to be exact. "It says here that you two talk in your sleep." He says to Rory and me.

"I remember that," Lorelai says suddenly. "Luke never did tell us what you two said."

"I'm sure it was nothing," I tell them. "Rory and I were sharing a bed, that's it, I'm sure Luke was just trying to get something to hold over our heads."

"You're wrong," Luke says from behind the counter. "I remember now, and you weren't just talking in your sleep you were in a full blown conversation, I would've thought that you were awake, but you wouldn't have said the half the things that you said."

"What are you talking about?" Kate asks confused.

"Ooh, tell the story Luke," Lorelai says excitedly. "It was so long ago now."

"Fine," Luke relents and then begins. "So Jess had gotten into a little incident down at the old bridge and had to go to hospital, when he was recovering Rory helped him out, kept him company, all that. I settled into bed one night after finding them in bed together, and I'll admit that it was hard to get to sleep, Rory was like a daughter to me, and Jess was… trouble. Anyway I stayed awake and not long later they began talking in their sleep, Rory first, but then Jess started conversing with her."

"I thought we agreed to keep this buried," I tell Luke pointedly.

"No I want to hear this," Rory says excitedly. "I want to know what we said all those years ago."

"Do we know yet?" Lane asks excitedly running into the diner. "Did you tell them yet Luke?"

"No, not yet," Luke responds.

"Thank god," Lane says taking a seat. "I've been waiting so many years to find this out. As soon as Kirk said Luke, and Talking in their sleep, I just ran for the diner."

"Lane, breathe," Lorelai tells her and she relaxes slightly. "Now Luke please continue."

"So as I said it started out with Rory…" Luke explains.

"_I want a turtle, a big turtle," Rory mumbled in her sleep._

"_I'll get you a turtle," Jess quickly responded._

"_A big one?" Rory asked him._

"_Sure whatever you want love," Jess answered. _

"_Turtles live over a hundred years," Rory proclaimed. "Do you think that we will be together then Jess?"_

"_Without a doubt," Jess responded confidently. _

"_Jess?" Rory questioned._

"_Yeah," Jess answered._

"_Do you think that we love each other as much as we do love each other?" Rory mumbled incoherently._

"_No," Jess answered._

"_No," Rory said in shock. "No?"_

"_No," Jess agreed. "Because there is no way that you love me more than I love you."_

"_Okay," Rory accepted. "Jess, do you think that we will get married and have children?"_

"_Marriage, yes, children, no," Jess responded. _

"_Okay," Rory agreed. "Whatever makes you happy Jessie."_

"_Don't call me Jessie," Jess told her. "Well at least not in front of anyone." _

"_Mmm K," Rory responded nearly fully asleep now._

"Wow," Lorelai says. "There is so many things there that I can mock."

"I know," Lane agrees. "Jessie."

"Hey," I quickly defend.

"Where's my turtle Jessie?" Rory asks me expectantly.

"We're not getting a turtle," I tell her seriously.

"I want to address the issue of no children," Kate says to her father. "What do you have to say for yourself, huh?"

"That I'm sorry," I tell them. "And that I love you all… I was asleep after all."

"But it was your subconscious talking," Ryan tells me, he must have came in sometime during the story. "So technically that is really what you were thinking."

"Ryan," Luke warns. "Don't forget that you're not allowed to analyze the family."

"I don't see why I can't," Ryan replies. "I could actually make our family normal if I sat down with each one of you."

"We don't like normal son," Lorelai tells him proudly. "And you are by no means normal."

"Please," Ryan says. "I'm the normal-ist one here."

"Oh no," I say clearing my throat. "I am with no doubt the normal-ist one here, I always have been."

"Let's look at this logically," Rory says. "I'm the normal-ist one."

"No one is," Finn tells us. "And do you know why? Because you all seem to think that normal-ist is an actual word when it isn't."

"Maybe Finn's the normal-ist one," Erin says excitedly.

"Hang on a minute," Ryan says. "I'm the only one here with their PhD, so I think that I have ruling here."

"Go ahead," Lorelai says happily. "Who is the most normal one here? And don't forget I love you son."

"Oh yeah butter him up," I say to Lorelai. "Oh RyRy remember who loved you and looked after you when you were little."

"This is so unfair," Emma says from her spot. "No one's normal, you're all crazy."

I sit back in my seat and watch my whole family argue. I look at my three girls and I couldn't be more proud of them. I look at Rory and I couldn't imagine living my life with anyone else. It's hard for me to believe that when I moved to Stars Hollow I had the notion of not letting anyone into my life for the fear of getting hurt, but I'm glad that I met Rory in that record store on that fateful day and that Rory decided to pursue me, because if I never let anyone in then I would have never realized how special each one of these people were. They are my family, and I couldn't imagine my life without them.

**The End**

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**I hope you enjoyed reading this story and if you did I'd just like to let you know that I've recently published my first novel as an eBook and would be greatly appreciative if you could check it out at, l****ink is on my profile page. Thank you for your support in advance, it really means a lot to me.**


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